Family Affairs
by dudelove85
Summary: The TARDIS takes The Doctor to the 22nd Century where she encounter a daughter, that she had no memory of meeting. Newly regenerated Jenny struggles to get answers until the two Time Ladies encounter all of The Doctor's previous incarnations during the most impossible day in all creation. The truth about the Twelfth Doctor is about to be revealed. Sequel to Rebirth of The Doctor.
1. Episode 2: The Unexpected Discovery

_Episode 2 – The Unexpected Discovery_

 _Chapter 1_

It was sunrise on the Earth's only natural satellite and the warm light was breaking through the artificial atmosphere on The Moon. The year was 2120, around thirty years after the Moon had been partially colonised by humans. There had been a number of scientific research bases on the surface since the mid twenty first century but with the Earth feeling the effects of global warming, additional funding was given in the 2080's to establish an artificial environment on the Moon. Now the surface was covered by large scale developments, all owned by the rich and powerful. Money still talked in the twenty second century and only the rich could afford to live on the Moon.

The residential section of the Moon was on the so called 'Light Side of The Moon', the side that usually faced Earth. There were still research bases on the Moon but they were as far away from the town and cities as possible. Unseen by the population of Earth and ignored by their neighbours, the scientific community on the Dark Side of The Moon almost had a culture of their own. Earth had seen a number of wars during the twenty first century, allowing the Dark Siders to almost becoming self governing. They sold their technology and inventions to whoever was willing to pay the most. They were the shady faces of scientific mercenaries in the twenty second century.

Floyd Section Gamma, FSEC as it was more commonly known, was one of the smaller institutions but with a reputation for innovative designs. From the outside the base looked small compared to some others. There was one large hangar, solid black in colour sitting in the middle of the complex. Connected to the hangar were six glass tubes that linked to the same number of small buildings. These buildings were three storeys high, a light silver in colour with a few round windows. Surrounding the complex was an invisible laser fence that was lethal to anyone who tried to pass through.

For the last few years, FSEC had been suspiciously quiet. The odd sale was made but on the whole, the complex had been in a state of lock down for the duration. What the public didn't know was that the population of FSEC had been dwindling prior to the lockdown. Only six people occupied the site now and all of them were focused on one major project but it had the potential to be the most lucrative one yet.

The central hangar had two sections, an inner square where their equipment was set up and an outer section where a number of operating stations were set up. The primary operating station had a large viewing screen and with a triangular desk set up in the middle. There was a small gap inside the triangle where the lead scientist was frantically typing away on the various computers that were set up. Will Lancaster was a small man in his early forties with greying dark hair. He reached on top of his head and pulled down a pair of thick framed glasses. He was a world renown scientist who had been something of a teenage wunderkind, making his first million before he turned sixteen. Prior to joining FSEC he was a lecturer at Oxford University. Will fiddled nervously with his glasses before placing them on his face and continued to type away. He was wearing the standard uniform of FSEC, a loose fitting orange boiler suit but he had customised his uniform with a white lab coat.

The door opened and a tall female woman stepped inside. The room was a mess with wires, circuit boards and leftover food littering the floor. Her face scrunched up as the smell from the room hit the back of her throat. The odour of rotting food was almost overwhelming and it took the blonde a couple of seconds to regain her composure. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun and her strong looking jaw clenched at the state of the room, "I hope you plan on cleaning this up William", she growled. Her English was perfect but there was a hint of an Eastern European accent.

The scientist briefly looked up at the woman but quickly turned his attention back to his work, "We're on the verge of the biggest scientific breakthrough of all time and you're worried about a little bit of mess", he replied with a thick Welsh accent, "you need to sort out your priorities Olga".

Olga Kurychenko was the second in command at FSEC. A woman of few words, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind and the chief scientist was usually on the receiving end of her sharp tongue. She was a former soldier who was the most recent recruit to the staff of FSEC. Her cold attitude created rumours that she used emotional suppressors, something that was illegal for anyone outside the military. As this was a special day for FSEC so she reigned in her usual acidic retort and grumbled, "Just make sure this is working properly". Will gave the woman a small, mocking salute and continued to focus on his work. Olga muttered something under her breath and turned sharply on her heel, stomping out of the room as loudly as she could.

Will's lab was in the south east section of the building. Oleg moved past the east operating room and towards the east tunnel. The building was solid metal and every corridor looked the same, a dull grey colour with fluorescent lighting. The only identifying features were the occasion sign reminding them which side of the square hangar they were in. FSEC's second in command reached an airlock and used her keycard to access the east tunnel. Once inside she could go in two different directions, to her right was the door that led to one of the outer building on the base. She chose to head left and buzzed herself through the door, this way led to the inner section of the hangar.

Inside the main hangar was a raised platform and standing on the platform was a glass floor marked with two large circles. Surrounding the platform were several metal pillars that were supporting a similar looking glass structure directly above the one on the floor. Several cables were running in all directions and were plugged in the main electricity generators.

Standing around the platform were a short woman with chin length brown hair and a burly looking man with a shaved head. The man greeted Olga with a curt nod but the woman didn't seem too bothered by the appearance of the bases second in command, "Van Der Merwe, Brinkley", she greeted the man and woman in turn, "everything operational?"

"The electricity feed is running", Katherine Brinkley replied with a breezy English voice, "as long as Will does his job then we'll be ready to go in five minutes". Katherine was the secondary scientist on this project, offering support to Will wherever possible. She was the polar opposite to Will in terms of personality, she preferred to play things by the book whereas he was more of a mad scientist type. She was actually one of Will's former students at Oxford and had joined FSEC in conjunction with her ex-professor and another student.

The other person was a Moon native by the name of Michel Van Der Merwe. His family were amongst the first to move to the Moon in the late twenty first century. He stood well over six feet tall and was powerfully built. In the heyday of FSEC he was the bases security officer but with only five other occupants, the role looked a little redundant, "You're the one making this journey Kat, not him", Michel reminded the scientist, speaking with his usual gravelly tone, "if he doesn't do his job, you'll end up looking like a tin of spaghetti".

"Try not to remind me Mick", Kat groaned. She turned her head slightly and called out in a loud voice, "It's bad enough I lost that bet with our resident grease monkey".

"Not my fault your poker face is terrible", a voice called out from somewhere in the hangar. Moments later someone rappelled down from the upper structure and landed next to Kat with a heavy thump, "Consider yourself lucky it wasn't strip poker", the man added with a cheeky smile. Townsend Prescott was a native of the United States of Camerica, an amalgamation of the former USA and Canada that was created after the Second Civil War of 2065. He was the youngest of the crew at just twenty two and he long black hair was kept in place with a grease stained bandana. Like Kat he was a former student of Will Lancaster's.

"Just tell me you haven't pulled out something vital", Kat said with a pleading voice.

"Relax mon chere", Townsend smiled, "every nut and bolt on that thing has been checked and double checked, nothing can go wrong".

"Please don't say that spanner boy", Olga grunted, "are you trying to curse this mission".

"Alright that's enough everyone", the voice of FSEC's commanding officer called out. Unlike the others, he was dressed in an orange pressure suit with a helmet tucked underneath his arm. He had dark skin, a scruffy looking beard and his curly afro style hair was kept in place with a red beret.

"Sorry Colonel Pink", Townsend apologised, "it won't happen again".

Colonel Orson Pink gave the boy a small glare before waving him away, "Kat you should get dressed into your pressure suit, the experiment will begin in ten minutes". The young scientist nodded and quickly moved towards the north operating room to get changed, "Everyone else, assume your positions".

Michel and Townsend departed towards the south east room where Will was stationed but Olga stayed behind for a moment. Orson and Olga were unlikely friends, built on respect rather than true friendship. They were occasional lovers but there was never a suggestion there would be anything more between the pair. Even during the intimate moments, the blonde haired woman retained her cool exterior. Today though, Olga had a serious look on her face as she gently touched his face, "Come back safe Pinky", she whispered.

For a moment Orson thought he could see a look of concern on her face but that very quickly disappeared. "Don't plan on doing anything different", he smiled in response and he kissed her gently on the lips. As they broke apart, Kat reappeared dressed in her pressure suit. She looked a little embarrassed to have ruined the moment, opting to tip toe around them and make her way over to the platform. Olga grunted in annoyance and quickly retreated, leaving Orson alone with the scientist, "You have the worst timing in the world", he said to her in annoyance.

"Sorry Colonel", she apologised meekly, "won't happen again".

Orson sighed, "Try to relax Kat, this whole thing could go wrong if we're tense". It was a nice attempt to calm the young woman's nerve but it didn't seem to be having much effect.

In the south east control room, everyone else gathered at the glass viewing window to watch the experiment unfold. From his control position, Will activated a digital clock in the room which showed the current time of 7:23AM. "Alright we're ready to go", the lead scientist announced and pushed up on a lever on his control panel. "Connecting to the vortex", he stated, "vortex established".

"Set the timer for one minute", Orson called out through the radio in his helmet.

"Confirmed Colonel, time vortex set for one minute", Will answered and checked the time, it was now 7:24AM. The lights in the room began to dim as all power was diverted to the structure on the platform, "10 seconds", Will said and began a silent countdown in his head. Everyone held their breath as exactly 10 seconds later, Colonel Pink and Kat Brinkley disappeared in a flash of light.

"Did it work?" Olga asked the lead scientist. She looked out into the hangar but there was no sign of her colleagues. The atmosphere felt highly charged with electricity and the blonde could almost feel it pressing against her chest.

Will tapped away on his system before answering, "Looks like it", he smiled, "I'm happy to confirm that on this day at exactly 7:25AM, Orson Pink and Katherine Brinkley became humanity's first recorded time travellers.

"Let's wait until they come back before popping the champagne corks", Townsend tempered the mood slightly, much to the annoyance of the other FSEC member's.

The quartet nervously looked at the clock and waited for a minute to pass. At exactly 7:26AM there was another flash and the two time travellers reappeared on the platform. They swayed around on the platform before slowly sinking to their knees, "Computer security override, authorisation code Kurychenko Delta 326", Olga called out. The electricity to the inner hangar was cut, leaving just emergency lighting and the glass security screen instantly descended.

The quartet hopped through the gap and sprinted to the platform where Orson and Kat had reappeared. They were relieved to see that the pair were slowly removing their helmets. They looked a little sweaty and pale but otherwise they appeared to be in good shape, "Boss, are you alright", Michel called out.

"Nothing a stiff drink won't cure", Orson smiled.

"We should get you checked out anyway", Olga stated, "can't be too careful".

"It worked though right?" Kat asked hopefully.

Will nodded, "I'm looking at the world's first time travellers", the pair smiled weakly as Michel and Olga helped them down from the platform.

"Townsend check out the rig, make sure that everything survived the jump", Orson ordered. The young engineer nodded as the other five left him alone inside the inner hangar.

"Great, leave me alone in the dark hangar", Townsend grumbled. He grabbed a torch and began to inspect the platform but nothing appeared to be out of place. He would have to return once power had been restored to do a full check. He was about to leave when he heard something from the other side of the hangar. He wasn't sure but it sounded like radio static, "Hello", he called out, "anyone there".

There was no response and he shrugged it off, putting it down to the long hours he had put in the night before. He moved towards the east entrance when he heard the noise again, this time though he spun around and shone his light towards the sound, "Kat, you scared me", he grasped his chest. The person in front of him looked like Kat but it wasn't reacting like her. Her facial expression was blank and she was moving in a very slow, almost deliberate manner. Townsend watched as her mouth opened and a brief burst of static echoed throughout the hangar. Kat's body flickered like a static interruption, "Kat?" Townsend whispered but the thing in front of him wasn't Katherine Brinkley.

Townsend could feel his heart beginning to beat faster inside his chest. Whatever this creature was it didn't look friendly. He turned around and ran towards the east entrance but in the dark, he had gotten disorientated and he slammed into the wall. He bounced away and held his nose, only to bump into Colonel Pink, or more accurately, passed right through his body. The image of Orson Pink snarled and screeched loudly with a high pitched whine. Townsend screamed in terror but moments later, he was silenced permanently. The creature touched his body and his skin began to darken before his body crumbled into dust. The creatures masquerading as Orson and Kat cried out loudly as their bodies flickered between solid and a static image.

 _ **A/N –**_ _First attempt at some original monsters and some original cannon fodder...I mean guest stars to the story. Obviously you'll recognise Orson Pink from the episode "Listen" but with a slightly modified backstory that shall be revealed later. Next time the hero of our story shows her face..._


	2. 2: In The Shadows

_Chapter 2 – In The Shadows_

The TARDIS was travelling steadily through the time vortex, allowing its pilot some time to recuperate after her adventure on Earth. In terms of relative time, it had only been a few hours since The Doctor departed from Earth. The Time Lady had spent most of that time either glued to the scanner or pacing nervously around the console. A presence the size of Gallifrey and the Time Lords should leave some kind of imprint in the universe. The Doctor wasn't naive enough to believe that this would be easy but she would've hoped there would be some sniff of her home world out there.

The Time Lady was so focused on her search that she hadn't even changed out of her dress that she wore to her own memorial service. The experience had been slightly humbling for The Doctor, knowing that so many people held her in such regard. Looking back over her own past wasn't something The Doctor had done often and she had to admit, it was nice to see so many familiar faces again. This incarnation felt a little more domestic as her predecessors and there was an urge to reconnect with her past deep within her. She couldn't visit her family, her companions were the closest she would ever get to feeling that bond again.

After a few hours standing at the console, The Doctor finally realised that she was standing barefoot and in a cocktail dress when a deep shiver ran through her body. She reluctantly stepped away from the scanner and retreated to the wardrobe to get changed. The dress was soon discarded and replaced with her usual outfit of a long sleeved blue blouse, black waistcoat and trousers. She had just finished zipping up her boots when the TARDIS lurched to one side and the familiar sound of grinding gears could be heard.

Grabbing her fingerless gloves off the top of a dresser, The Doctor marched through the corridor until she reached the console room. She pulled on her gloves and pulled the scanner around to her current position, "Early twenty second century", she muttered to herself, "three hundred and eighty four thousand miles from our last position". The Doctor paused and thought about this for a moment, "Why had you brought me to the Moon?" she called out to the TARDIS.

Moving around slowly to the other screen, a vintage 1950's television screen, The Doctor adjusted a few knobs to ascertain her exact position, "From what I remember of this time period, there should be a large and fairly gaudy colony out there somewhere", she said and continued to find a signal. The screen fired into life, displaying a grey metal corridor with a flickering lighting system. The Doctor moved the image around but in every direction was this long, rather boring corridor, "Well, you do take me to the best places, don't you old girl".

Seeing there was nothing of note to be gained from looking at this screen, The Doctor moved back to the previous screen to try and find some clue as to why the TARDIS had brought her here. "No Gallifrey", she continued, "I think someone would've noticed if the planet had returned to orbit near to Earth". The Time Lady then frowned as she noticed something that shouldn't be there, "Signs of time travel, multiple signals as well", she muttered, "but humans don't discover how to time travel for another two centuries".

Taking a step back from the console, The Doctor leaned on the metal railing, placed the palms of her hands together and brought them up to her mouth. Her stomach felt a little uneasy and her mind felt a little foggy. The TARDIS had brought her here for a reason but she couldn't figure out why, "It's unusual to find time travel in this era but not unheard of", she began, "plenty of tourists like to visit Earth's first off world colony but I'll admit, this number of readings in such close proximity is unusual". She tapped her palms together and continued to think, "There's nothing here related to our search so let's move on as quickly as we can".

The Doctor approached the console and went to pull the lever to set the TARDIS back into flight, however, the console sparked and the ship stayed exactly where it was. "Come on old girl, don't be like this", The Doctor pleaded and tried again but this time the level didn't move at all, "I'd like to get moving", the Time Lady sighed in desperation, "I'm in control of here, not you". The TARDIS though was stubborn and refused to take off, "We're not leaving are we?" the Time Lady sighed, finally admitting defeat, "I'm telling you, there's nothing out there". The Doctor wasn't sure if she was trying to convince the time ship or herself.

In response, the TARDIS console began to churn before it spat something out with a burst of steam. The Doctor caught the object that had been created, it was a brand new sonic screwdriver. It was smaller in length than the one used by her predecessor but it was similar in terms of width. The screwdriver was the same brass colour as the rest of the console and when The Doctor tested it out, a bright amber light was emitted from the tip. The Time Lady sighed in defeat and grabbed her purple jacket from the coat hook at the side of the console, "Alright fine, I'm going", she huffed and placed the screwdriver into her pocket.

She pulled the door open and cautiously stepped into the corridor that she had seen on the scanner. The Time Lady brushed her fingers against the cool steel walls and quickly established that this wasn't one of the more fashionable establishments on the Moon colony. Based on the construction and general smell of the place, this was probably a Dark Sider property. Given the length of the corridor it was probably a military style base, "Strange, I would normally have a welcoming committee by now", the Time Lady commented. The absence of sirens or guards made The Doctor hopeful that this incarnation was better at infiltrating a facility stealthily. Unfortunately for the Time Lady, experience told her that nothing ever went smoothly, whatever life she was in.

The Doctor continued her journey down the corridor until she reached a heavy metal airlock. Pulling out her sonic screwdriver and buzzing it in the direction of the door, it gently opened inwards. Behind the door was a glass corridor that the Time Lady could see led to the outside which was blocked by another heavy door. She tried to use the sonic again but much to her frustration, this one was deadlocked. There was another door, on the same directional path as she had come from. This door did response to a gentle coaxing from the sonic screwdriver and swung open with a groan.

The corridor behind looked almost identical to the one The Doctor had landed in. For the first time though, the Time Lady noticed the sign telling her that she was in the East corridor. There was a door to her left with a window near the top. Peering inside, she found that the room was devoid of life but there were a few rumpled sleeping bags inside, "So there is someone here", The Doctor stated, "so where the hell are they?"

It wasn't just the lack of people that was making The Doctor feel uneasy, it was the lack of anything. There was barely any noise, apart from the occasional buzzing from one of the lights and the sound of the Time Lady's own footsteps. She turned the corner and found another door. This one didn't have a window but it was marked as the 'South East Operating Room'. The Doctor didn't need to use the sonic screwdriver on this door as someone had left it unlocked.

Pushing the door open, The Doctor found some clear signs of a scientific experiment. There were several thick cables littered around the room, some of which showed signs of a small electrical fire. Attached to the opposite wall was a large digital clock, showing the current date and time. Dominating the room though was the vast array of computers that were set up on a trio of workbenches laid out in the shape of a triangle. Several tools had been dropped on the floor around the computers and a couple of computers were out of position, "This looks a little more promising", The Time Lady said and rubbed her hands together eagerly. This was the most exciting part of any exploration, the initial discovery of some unusual or out of place. The computer set up reeked of the unusual, the technology was definitely twenty second century but the configuration suggested something a little more advanced.

Reaching for her sonic screwdriver once again, this time changing the setting to scanning mode, she concentrated on the computers, "Recently activated, although suffered from terrible electrical arcing", she commented but suddenly stopped mid sentence. The Time Lady tapped her screwdriver a couple of times just to make sure it wasn't malfunctioning, "This is the control computer for a time machine", she continued with disbelief in her voice. Choosing to inspect the computer array by hand, she pushed some debris away from the keyboard, "But this isn't right, humans don't time travel until the twenty fourth century", she paused and shrugged, "unless assisted by me of course". Memories of the Time Lady's recent visit to London rushed back to the forefront of her head. Could the same person who brought thirty first century technology to the twenty first century be responsible for this?

The Doctor took a couple of paces away from the desk and concentrated on the timelines swirling around the building. Humanity breaking the time barrier in the twenty fourth century was a pivotal moment in the development of mankind. It was also a fixed point in time, something that every time traveller knew shouldn't be interfered with. Now someone had indirectly broken that by inventing a time machine two centuries early. This must be the weird feeling that The Doctor had felt ever since arriving, someone or something had damaged the timeline, "Remind me never to criticise the TARDIS and her decision making again", The Doctor chuckled.

Pushing aside her queasy feeling, The Doctor noticed a large open window directly in front of her that led to the inner section of the building. She vaulted through the gap, pausing to inspect the opening, "Two inch laser proof glass", she poked at the structure that was imbedded between the walls, "lowered through the use of an emergency protocol and not put back into position".

There was next to no lighting in the central hangar, except from a couple of orange emergency lights in the roof. There was just enough light to make out a raised platform in the centre of the room with several metal trusses holding up another panel directly above the platform. The Doctor took a couple of steps closer to the platform and scanned it with her screwdriver, "Used once about a week ago", she commented to herself, "and shut down abruptly but there's no doubt, it was successful". The Time Lady took a step back from the platform, she needed to find the occupants of this base and quickly.

Just then The Doctor heard a loud burst of static from the other side of the room. Turning around briskly, she frowned and tried to concentrate on the noise, "Hello", she called out, "someone out there?" The uneasy felling began to build again inside the Time Lady, for the first time since arriving she was feeling genuinely nervous. Contrary to Clara's assessment of the Time Lady, she did have a sense of fear, a very good one at that. Her calm outward appearance was an attempt to mask her nervousness and she would need to use that right now if she was going to escape from this situation.

Two pale figures could be seen emerging from the darkness, both dressed in bright orange pressure suits. One was a tall dark skinned man with a curly afro and the other was a shorter brunette woman, "Ah hello I'm The Doctor", the Time Lady called out, "don't mind me, I was just passing through". The figures showed no signs of acknowledging The Doctor and continued to shuffle slowly in her direction. The two bodies then flickered between solid and static, causing The Doctor to raise her eyebrows, "Right, this isn't good", she commented and looked towards the ceiling, "I see you've already taken out the lights, you clever little blighters".

The shadowy figures screeched loudly and began picking up their pace, "There's only one thing to do in a situation like this", The Doctor said confidently before turning around quickly and sprinting out of the hangar. She hopped through the gap in the wall but her pursuers were closing in fast.

The Time Lady opened the door, only be confronted by two large men, one of which looked exactly the same as one of the figures chasing her, "Get out the way", the dark skinned man growled and forcefully pushed The Doctor out the way. If it wasn't for her superior Time Lady strength, she probably would've been sent flying into the wall.

The two men turned around and activated a couple of powerful torches that were in their hands. With the room now flooded with light, the creatures cried loudly with a burst of static, their bodies flickering wildly. They quickly retreated back into the main hangar, making a significant amount of noise in the process. The men then slammed the door shut firmly and make sure it was securely locked.

The Doctor straightened out the collar of her jacket and clapped her hands together, "Thank you for the assist gentlemen", she smiled but the two men weren't impressed. The Time Lady quickly found herself staring down the barrel of two fairly large weapons, "There's no need to resort to violence gentlemen", the Time Lady said with a frown and a cold tone.

"Get your hands up", the man with the shaved head ordered. The Doctor glared back defiantly for a few seconds before reluctantly raised her hands into the air, "You've got five seconds to tell us who the bloody hell you are and what you're doing here?"

Keeping her head raised proudly, she response, "My name is The Doctor and the reason that I'm here", she chuckled softly, "that's going to take a lot longer than five seconds".

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. 2: Comfortably Numb

_Chapter 3 – Comfortably Numb_

 _Previously - The Doctor straightened out the collar of her jacket and clapped her hands together, "Thank you for the assist gentlemen", she smiled but the two men weren't impressed. The Time Lady quickly found herself staring down the barrel of two fairly large weapons, "There's no need to resort to violence gentlemen", the Time Lady said with a frown and a cold tone._

" _Get your hands up", the man with the shaved head ordered. The Doctor glared back defiantly for a few seconds before reluctantly raised her hands into the air, "You've got five seconds to tell us who the bloody hell you are and what you're doing here?"_

 _Keeping her head raised proudly, she response, "My name is The Doctor and as to what I'm doing here", she chuckled softly, "that's going to take a lot longer than five seconds"._

Orson and Michel looked at each other for a couple of moments before the commanding officer of FSEC lowered his weapon slightly, "How did you get in here?" Orson asked.

"With my ship", The Doctor replied, "she can take me practically anywhere in the universe". She then turned her head towards Michel, "Big weapon you have there", she smiled, "overcompensating for something?" Orson sniggered briefly but the security officer didn't look impressed and unclipped the safety on his blaster, "Just a joke big fella", the Time Lady chuckled and turned towards Orson, "where did you find this guy?"

"Stop distracting us", Michel growled, "and no more jokes. If I don't get a satisfactory reason for your presence here in the next ten seconds, I'll reduce you to atoms".

The Doctor glared at the man with a stormy look in her eyes, "Better creatures in this universe have tried and failed", she replied. "I don't believe you'll do that because you're clearly a military man and if there's one thing a soldier can do well it's follow orders". She paused to allow her words to sink in, "The guy in charge", she pointed at Orson, "hasn't given you an order to fire so you won't, now lower your weapon". Michel's finger hovered on the trigger but Orson shook his head briefly. Reluctantly the security officer put the safety back on and lowered his blaster, "Good decision", The Doctor smiled, "now you can talk like civilised people".

"Then start talking", Orson stated, "but I'll warn you, Michel here has an itchy trigger finger".

"Very well", The Doctor began, "You've got a very big problem on your hands, namely the two creatures wondering around that hangar. Now I'm one of the few people who know what those things are so it's in your best interest to let me help you".

Orson considered The Doctor's offer for a couple of moments but he still wasn't fully convinced by the weirdly dressed woman. He didn't really have a lot of options though, everything his team had tried over the last few days had failed, "Alright Doctor", he replied hesitantly.

"Splendid", The Doctor rubbed her hands together, "follow me gentlemen", she quickly turned on her heels and walked briskly down the corridor.

Michel snorted and shook his head, "First the blonde, now this chick", he grumbled, "you're getting soft in your old age boss".

"At least this one seems to know what she's doing", Orson added.

The Doctor stopped suddenly in her tracks and turned back around, "One small point, where am I going?" The two men briefly looked at each other before shouldering their weapons. They caught up with The Doctor and led her through another set of doors and into the south west corner of the building.

Orson opened the door but The Doctor stepped inside before he could introduce her. The Time Lady found a tall blonde woman leaning against a wall, a brunette woman sitting on the floor with a bandage wrapped around her leg and a dark haired man attending to her injured leg, "Who the hell is this?" the blonde woman pointed at the Time Lady.

"I'm The Doctor", she reached inside her jacket and pulled out the psychic paper, "this should answer a lot of your questions".

The man kneeling on the floor lowered his glasses slightly and inspected the paper, "Head of UNIT", he snorted, "what are you doing up here, you guys haven't got any authority over us?"

The Time Lady quickly glanced at the psychic paper, confirming that it had identified her as the head of UNIT. She made a mental note to apologise to Kate Stewart the next time she saw her and quickly recalled as much information about Earth politics in the twenty second century as she could. The unstable global situation in the mid twenty first century, together with the influx of alien settlers had seen UNIT evolve into a police force. They were responsible for anything extra terrestrial, either on Earth or one of its colonies. The Doctor smiled to herself, she could use this to her advantage, "Authority, maybe not", she shrugged, "lord knows you Dark Siders like to bend the rules but UNIT does have jurisdiction. That's means that legally you're obliged to assist me, regardless of your personal feelings towards the law".

Numerous nervous glances were shared between the members of FSEC and The Doctor tried her best not to look smug. she wasn't completely sure if what she had said was true but it had clearly sounded convincing to the others, "Fine, we'll co-operate", Orson answered for his team, "now you said that you could help us".

"Potentially", The Doctor stated, "firstly let's see who I'll be working with", she turned her head slowly towards the blonde woman in the corner, "starting with you".

"Olga Kurychenko", the blonde replied coldly, "resident number E67G2H". The Doctor glared at the woman but Olga wasn't going to bend, "Legally that's all I'm obliged to give you".

"I don't think you understand how serious this situation is Miss Kurychenko", The Doctor replied, "the more I know, the quicker and easier I can help you". The Doctor wasn't picking up anything from the woman, it was like Olga was artificially suppressing her emotions. Realising she wouldn't get anything out of the blonde, she turned her gaze towards the man on the floor, "How about you, are you more willing to co-operate than frosty knickers over there?"

"Y-yes ma'am", Will replied, he managed to catch the appalled look on Olga's face at the nickname The Doctor had given her. "Will Lancaster, head scientist of FSEC", he continued.

"FSEC?" The Doctor asked.

"Floyd Section Gamma", the brunette woman grunted, clearly in a large amount of pain, "the name of this base. I'm Katherine by the way", she pointed at Will, "his assistant".

"Good, now we're getting somewhere", The Doctor turned to Michel, "now for Mr Overcompensation here". Michel's eyes widened before an angry look flashed across his head. He was about to lay into The Doctor but Orson grasped his arm and shook his head, "Clearly you're well respected around here", she said in Orson's direction.

"Perhaps if you stopped insulting my team, I wouldn't have to restrain them", Orson replied with a firm look towards the Time Lady, "this is base security officer Michel Van Der Merwe and I'm Colonel Orson Pink".

"Ah military, I was right", The Doctor found an empty desk and sat down with a bounce, assessing the group in front of her. There were three ex-military personnel and two scientists, an interesting mix. All of them clearly respected Colonel Pink but he was in interesting person to try and read. There was an air of sadness around the man, similar to someone in prison. The Time Lady didn't understand where this feeling was coming from, he was in charge of the base, why would he feel trapped? She continued to stare at the group and drummed her fingers on her thighs, "Just the five of you?" she asked, "not a lot of staff for a building this size".

"There was one more", Kat groaned from the floor, "but the creatures got him first", she rolled over slightly to get a better look at the Time Lady, "do you know what they are?"

The Doctor sighed, "Sadly yes", she then shook her head, "seriously just six member's of staff", she added. There was a general nod of agreement from everyone in the room, "I would've thought a project involving time travel would've required more staff, perhaps that's why it went wrong".

"How did you know that?" Orson snapped, his hand tightening on the barrel of his weapon, "we've had no contact with the outside world since we started the project".

"Because those creatures are Time Shadows", The Doctor jumped down from the desk, "by products of improper access to the time vortex". She paced slowly towards the staff of FSEC, "Time Shadows are literal ghosts in the machine, digital copies of the traveller but only one motive".

"What's that?" Olga grunted, disbelieving of The Doctor's explanation.

"To live", The Doctor replied simply, "Time Shadow's aren't alive but they have a conscious memory of being alive. They can't touch, taste or feel anything and that makes them extremely angry. They desperately want to live and to do that, they attempt to drain someone of their life energy, preferably their original self".

"I take it this doesn't work, draining someone's life force?" Orson asked.

"Of course not", The Doctor snorted, "but that doesn't stop them from trying". She knelt down next to Kat, "Take your friend for example", she slowly unwrapped the bandage around the woman. The leg underneath had withered and had turned black, the skin cracking and peeling in places, "This is what happens if one of those creatures get hold of you, your body will blacken and wither until you die". She sighed and slowly rewrapped the bandage around Kat's leg, "Fortunately Katherine here got lucky and escaped before any fatal damage could be done".

Kat bit her lip to try and ward off the worst of the pain. Looking into The Doctor's brown eyes, she asked, "Will it ever get better?"

The Time Lady hesitated for a moment, this was the part of her life that she hated the most. This young woman with a promising future ahead of her would be permanently disfigured thanks to these monsters. She grasped the brunettes hand for support and replied gently, "I'm so sorry Katherine but no, it won't". She kept her gaze on the woman, who now had a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks, "Since they have no corporeal body, you can't shoot them either", she added, telepathically sensing the next question in their minds.

"Great, so what can we do", Olga snapped, "sit around and wait to die".

"Firstly we can ditch the negative attitude", The Doctor snapped back at the blonde, "as you've worked out they can be kept at bay with light but to truly get rid of them, they need to be expelled into the time vortex".

"But the machine's fried", Will stated, "we tried to get it working again but everything shorted out".

The Doctor slowly rose to her feet and placed her hands in front of her face in a thinking pose, "I could have something to help with that but I'll need to get back to my ship. It's parked in the north east section of the building". She pushed past the group and headed for the door, "Frosty knickers, you stay with Katherine, keep checking her leg every few minutes. Everyone else come with me", she waived towards the door, not checking to see if anyone was actually following.

She was half way down the corridor before Orson, Michel and Will had caught up with her, "I don't know if this is how things are done at UNIT but you can't just throw your orders around and expect people to follow", Orson grumbled.

"Why, that's what you do, isn't it Colonel", The Doctor replied simply. A few moments later she turned her head towards FSEC's lead scientist, "So time travel, where did that idea come from?"

"Where does any idea come from?" Will replied in a cryptic manner, "time travel had always interested me ever since I watched Back To The Future on holovid".

"You're obsession with vintage cinema is ridiculous", Michel snorted, "that film's over a hundred years old".

"Nothing wrong with being over a hundred years old", The Doctor stated before remembering she was pretending to be the human head of UNIT, "part eight of the series was always my favourite", she added quickly to cover her mistakes.

"Mine too", Will smiled, "I wonder if travelling in time is really as exciting as they make it out to be in the movies".

"Maybe you'll find out one day", The Doctor smiled. She suppressed the urge to tell the staff of FSEC that the possibility of time travel shouldn't exist for another couple of hundred years. There was something vague about Will's explanation, he didn't seem desperate to declare pride in his invention. Anyone else who had invented a time machine would've been shouting about it from the rooftops. There was something suspicious about FSEC and it wasn't just the Time Shadow's.

The quartet passed through the final door and the familiar blue box of the TARDIS stood just down the corridor, "There we are gentlemen", The Doctor said with pride, "the finest ship in the universe".

The FSEC staff members weren't fully convinced, "It's a box", Michel stated, "a small box at that".

"If you going to travel, travel in style that's my motto", she around in her pocket for the key, "and again with the size thing Michel", she chuckled to herself. Suddenly the group froze as the loud sound of static echoed down the corridor. They glanced over their shoulder and noticed the Time Shadow in the form of Kat approaching them, "Quickly, to the TARDIS", The Doctor called out.

"How did that follow us?" Orson asked, "we locked the doors behind us".

"Non corporeal, remember", The Doctor replied, "they can pass through virtually anything solid". She waived her hands towards the ceiling, "The lack of proper lighting in the corridor make it easier to them to travel".

"Can't be helped", Will stated, struggling to keep up with the others, "when we reactivated the machine, it blew the primary generator".

"Great, can this get any worse", The Doctor grumbled but she had to immediately stop in her tracks. Blocking their path to the TARDIS was the other Time Shadow. They were now trapped between the two Time Shadows and they were closing in fast, "I really shouldn't have said that", she groaned, her mind racing desperately to find an escape route.

 _ **A/N -** Solid response to the story so far so thank you to everyone who's reading. Just to answer a guest review from chapter 1, yes Clara will continue to feature in this series but The Doctor has a few things to attend to first before returning to Earth_


	4. 2: No Longer Alone

_Chapter 4 – No Longer Alone_

The Time Shadows had slowed their pace, perhaps sensing that their prey was trapped and they didn't need to expend any further energy that necessary. The vacant expressions on their faces wasn't giving The Doctor or the three FSEC staff member's any clue to the Time Shadows intentions but something was radiating from their blurry images. The Time Lady could sense it, the creatures were broadcasting on every wavelength and her natural telepathy could easily pick up the anger and desperation of the Shadows. The Doctor noticed that Colonel Pink, the real one, was looking a little uncomfortable. Maybe his connection to his own Shadow was making him more in tune with the creatures than the other two humans.

Instinctively the three men had huddled around the Time Lady, much to the frustration of the raven haired woman. She had more than two thousand years of experience floating around inside her head, she didn't need anyone to shield her from danger. Adding to her annoyance was the insistence of Colonel Pink and Michel to aim their weapons at the creatures, "Lower your weapons", she whispered to them, "try to avoid doing anything that could antagonise them".

Michel, still with his weapon firmly pointed at one of the Time Shadow, snorted in response, "Like what?" he grumbled.

"Well in your case I would suggest doing nothing", her patience with the burly man was running out. He was just the type of person that The Doctor tried to avoid during her travels. Michel was inflexible, irritating and worse of all, a possible mercenary. The Doctor could tolerate soldiers, at least they believed in a cause. Mercenaries though only loved two things, money and violence. "Seriously don't do anything, you're giving me a migraine", the Time Lady reiterated.

The lights above their heads began to flicker, plunging them periodically into darkness. The sound of static was getting louder and higher pitched, forcing the three humans to briefly shield their ears. One of the Time Shadows had stopped and was guarding the TARDIS, leaving the other one to shepherd the quartet in its direction. "I don't really want to ask this question", Will shouted over the whistling sound, "but how do these things kill you if they can't touch you?"

"They're beings of pure energy", The Doctor replied, "well nearly pure. Surrounding every living creature is an electromagnetic energy field, not a large one but vital to our survival. Time Shadows siphon off that energy, literally taking your life energy. It's a slow and very painful death", Will gulped and nodded slowly, the fear in his eyes was clear to see. He really did regret asking that question.

The Time Shadow in the form of Colonel Pink was the nearest one to the TARDIS. The creature slowly tilted its head as it inspected the craft, like it was trying to carefully analyse the ship. Orson felt a small stabbing sensation in the front of his head, rubbing the spot where the pain had emanated from, "It's really interested in your box Doctor", he stated.

"And how do you know that", Michel asked in disbelief.

"I'm not sure", Orson stammered, his gaze still locked on the creature, "it's like we're connected in some way".

"Well I've had enough of standing around", Michel declared. He flicked the safety catch off his weapon and opened fire. A barrage of plasma energy flew towards Kat's Time Shadow but it passed through harmlessly. The shots slammed into the steel wall at the other end of the corridor, leaving dark scorch marks on the surface. The Time Shadow looked at the spot where the plasma shots had passed through and let out an ear piercing scream of high frequency static. Angered by the attempt to shoot it, the Time Shadow began to advance quickly on the group.

"I think you've pissed it off Michel", Will stated and nervously tried to inch away from the creature.

The Doctor glared at the security officer with a look for disappointment and disgust, her annoyance had just gone up another notch, "Thank you", she spat, "you might've just doomed us all". Immediately above Kat's Time Shadow, the light exploded in a shower of glass and phosphorus. There was now only one working light in the corridor and that was the one immediately above the TARDIS, "Quickly aim your lights at the TARDIS", she called out whilst simultaneously fumbling in her jacket pocket for her sonic screwdriver.

"The what?" Orson yelled over the ever increasing noise from the Time Shadows.

"The blue box", The Doctor replied shortly. She finally grasped her screwdriver and pointed it towards the light. The screwdriver activated with a buzzing noise and the light suddenly trebled in power, bathing the corridor with a bright light, "Run", The Doctor cried, "that bulb won't hold forever.

With the bright light filling the corridor, the Time Shadows were incapacitated. The creature's images flickered between solid and a blurry static image. Their cries were filled with so much pain that even Michel and Will could feel it. The Doctor and Orson felt the pain of the Time Shadow much more severely and they struggled to run with all that anguish pushing down on them. The Time Lady finally reached her TARDIS and pulled a small golden key out of her pocket. She had just placed the key in the lock when the light above them shorted out. Now all that was protecting them from the Time Shadows were their torches and the dull orange emergency lights.

The three humans were closing in on the Time Lady's TARDIS, Orson was in the lead with Will and Michel just behind. When the lights when out, there was a brief moment of silence before the Time Shadow screeched and turned in the direction of the TARDIS, "Get inside, now", The Doctor barked and threw the doors of her time machine open. Orson dived through the door like a trained soldier but Will stumbled, tripping at the entrance and landing face first on the metal walkway. Michel though had stopped running and had turned to face the creature, "Michel what the hell are you doing?" the Time Lady bellowed over the piercing screams of the Time Shadows.

"Buying us some time", Michel grunted and discharged his weapon. Once again the shots fizzed through the bodies of the Time Shadows, only enraging them.

"You stupid man", The Doctor cried, "by shooting at them you're only feeding their anger". She gripped the edge of the TARDIS door in frustration, "You're making the situation worse you imbecile".

Michel ignored The Doctor and continued to fire but it was hopeless. The Orson Time Shadow thrust out his hand until it was about six inches away from Michel's back. The security officer froze immediately and his weapon dropped to the ground with a loud clang. The other Time Shadow paused just in front of Michel face and tilted its head to one side. Michel muttered something under his breath but his nervous system had been paralyzed but the Time Shadows draining his energy. His body jerked violently to one side and for the first time since she had met him, The Doctor noticed a fearful look in his eye.

The Time Lady averted her gaze slightly because she knew exactly what was coming next and she really didn't want to see it. Michel's skin began to tighten and crack, like all the water had been drained from his body. The exposed parts of his skin darkened until they had turned black. He tried to scream in pain but no noise came out of his throat. His skin began to tighten until it was like a piece of leather stretched out his skeleton. Normally the Time Shadows would stop the energy drain here but this man had angered them so they kept going. Michel's body slowly crumbled until there was nothing left but a pile of clothes and some dust.

Pain suddenly radiated through The Doctor's hand, she had been gripping the door frame so hard that her fingertips had turned bright red. She stared at the bundle of clothes that used to belong to Michel Van Der Merwe and ground her teeth in frustration. Another human life and been lost unnecessarily but this time, the human had been the main architect of his own demise. If he had just listened to her then he would be safely inside the TARDIS with the others.

The Doctor patted the door frame of the TARDIS and glared towards the Time Shadows. She could just about make out the outline of the creatures against the dim orange glow of the emergency lights. They weren't making any further movements towards the TARDIS, obviously they were satisfied with the energy they had just drained. The Time Lady turned around swiftly and slammed the door behind her, the time for playing nice was over.

She stomped up the metal walkway, the sound of her boots echoed with each step. She pushed past the two men and pulled the blaster forcefully out of Orson's hand. She tossed it off the side of the elevated walkway before Orson could even protest, "You're security officer's dead", the Time Lady growled out, "killed by his own arrogance and stupidity".

It took Orson a few moments to process what The Doctor had said. He wasn't Michel's best friend but he still didn't deserve to die. He lowered his head slightly, annoyed with himself that he wasn't able to protect a member of his team. Suddenly he realised what The Doctor had just done, "You threw my weapon away", he stated with a frosty tone, "our defence against those creatures and you've thrown it away".

The Doctor had continued to walk towards the console but she paused in her journey when those words came out of Orson's mouth. She turned around slowly and slammed her hands against the metal barrier, an angry frown on her face. The sound of her palms striking metal echoed throughout the TARDIS and she let the noise ring out for a couple of moments, "What is it with guns that you stupid, blundering apes are so obsessed with", she shouted towards the FSEC men. "Guns make you overconfident, cloud your judgement", her frown softened slightly, "guns get you killed", she added with a slightly softer tone. She glared at the men for another couple of moments before turning around and continuing to walk, "And yes this ship is bigger on the inside", she added.

The Time Lady reached the console and leant on it for support. Her level of anger towards Orson Pink had been surprising but she knew exactly why she was so furious. A lot of good people had been killed with guns and blasters but there was one special person in particular who came to mind. The Doctor took a deep breath to calm herself and push that memory out of her mind, she would have plenty of time to dwell on his death in the future. Right now she needed to eliminate the Time Shadows and return to the other FSEC staff members. She flicked a couple of switches, including the blue stabilizers. The TARDIS wasn't great at short hops so sadly, they would be necessary. She released the handbrake and reengaged it almost straight away.

Turning away from the console, the Time Lady crossed the walkway and once again pushed past the two men. As she reached for the door Orson called out, "You can't go back out there".

"Well I am and you two aren't staying in here", The Doctor snapped and opened the door. The two FSEC men were surprised to see a bright light flooding into the TARDIS and nervously stepped towards the door. When they crossed the doorway, they were even more surprised to see Olga staring at them in amazement, "Did I forget to mention we moved", The Doctor added, slamming the door shut loudly, "oops". She locked the door and crossed over to the empty desk on the other side of the room. She jumped up onto the surface and sat down, crossing her legs underneath her body in the process.

Olga wasn't a particularly sensitive person but even she could sense the tension between The Doctor and the others. The raven haired woman was clearly angry and had tried to put as much distance between herself and Orson as possible, "What happened?" she asked.

"Michel's dead", Orson replied with a hollow tone, "those creatures got him". Like her boss, Olga wasn't a big fan of Michel but he was still one of them. She lowered her head respectfully and closed her eyes.

Colonel Pink took a few moments to assess the current situation. Townsend and Michel had been killed by the Time Shadows, reducing their number of just four. Kat was sleeping on the ground near his feet. She wasn't looking so good, her skin was pale and sweaty and the dark patch of skin was growing up her leg. On top of that the only person who seemed to know anything about these creatures was extremely angry with them. He took a quick glance at The Doctor, her arms were resting on her legs and her eyes were closed. She was either sleeping or meditating, neither of which felt very appropriate right now, "What's eating her?" Olga whispered and pointed at the Time Lady, "and this box, it just appeared out of nowhere".

"I don't know", Orson took a quick glance at the TARDIS, "but I think we deserve some answers".

"Not your decision to make Colonel", The Doctor said coldly, "I'm not tell you anything I don't think you need to know".

Orson took a couple of steps closer to the Time Lady, "Listen Doctor", he began, "three people have been killed by those things. You've got a blue box that's bigger on the inside and can apparently travel across our complex in a matter of seconds", his voice was slowly rising in volume with each word. "Everyone inside FSEC is my responsibility so I think I deserve some answers", he added.

The Doctor's eyes snapped open and fixed Orson with a withering glare. For the first time that day, Orson noticed that the woman's eyes looked old, much older than they should for a woman who appeared to be in her thirties. They screamed knowledge, wisdom but most of all, they were the eyes of someone who had experienced great loss. "Listen Colonel, I've told you more-", The Doctor suddenly paused, "three people?" she asked in confusion.

"Yeah", Orson slowly replied.

"Three people you said have been killed by the Time Shadows", The Doctor jumped down off the desk, "but you said you only had six staff members". She stopped just in front of the Colonel, "Who's the seventh person?"

Orson sighed, "I don't know", he began, "she turned up yesterday, some blonde woman in military clothing".

"We thought she had come to rescue us but there was no ship out there", Olga added, "before we could question her, the Time Shadows got her".

The Doctor absorbed this information as she began to pace, "Alright this is a very important question, was there anything unusual about her appearance here? Like another ship like this one", she pointed at the TARDIS, "or any unusual readings on your systems".

The three FSEC member's looked at each other briefly, "Now that you mention it, the computer did detect a brief temporal reading", Will answered, "and she was wearing this thick leather brace on her wrist".

"A vortex manipulator", The Doctor cried, "another time traveller". The pieces were beginning to piece together inside her mind. The TARDIS had brought her here due to the damage to the timeline but what if someone else had been drawn here as well by the same thing. She closed her eyes, opened her mind and instantly found what she was looking for, "Regeneration energy", she gasped, "and very close by". She grabbed Orson by his orange pressure suit and pulled him closer, "Where did you put her body?"

"N-next door", he stammered, the Time Lady's actions made him extremely nervous.

The Doctor released Orson and snatched the torch out of his hand. She ignored the protests of the group and released the security lock on the door. Somehow she had found another Time Lord and nothing was going to keep her from them.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _ **A/N -** An angry Doctor, that was a lot of fun to write let me tell you. Next time we will see the reintroduction of Jenny and she is not happy with The Doctor. Also whether you love this story or hate it, please leave your feedback so I can work on improving myself, it's the only way I know to make adjustments. _


	5. 2: Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

_Chapter 5 – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams_

The second The Doctor stepped outside the makeshift medical bay, she wondered if she was making a huge mistake. The urge to find this mystery Time Lord had overridden her own sense of self preservation and now she was standing in a darkened corridor with two Time Shadows still lurking around. The Time Lady's brisk pace had slowed considerably the further she walked. She focused her hearing to try and find any source of the Time Shadows but there was no sign of the creatures. The only noise was a faint buzzing from the overhead emergency lighting.

There was only one more door in this section of the FSEC facility and The Doctor had stopped immediately outside. There was a small portal window in the door and the Time Lady had to stretch up onto her tiptoes to look inside. The main lights weren't on but the room was illuminated by a couple of computer monitors. The Doctor could make out a couple of humanoid shaped figures laid out on top of a couple of desks but nothing more.

Unable to get a visual identification on the Time Lord, The Doctor reached out using her telepathic sense to try and determine which Time Lord was inside. The first thing she noticed was that this Time Lord didn't have highly developed mental shields so they were probably quite young. She didn't recognise the stranger's telepathic signature so it wasn't anyone she had met before. She was relieved that it wasn't The Master or The Rani, she didn't fancy commencing the next round of their ongoing rivalry with a couple of Time Shadows lurking around.

At the same time she was disappointed that it wasn't one of the friendlier Time Lords. The moment she sensed a Time Lord presence, The Doctor hoped that it was Romana. She would give anything to see that familiar strawberry blonde head of hair again belonging to her former companion and lover of her fourth incarnation. She would've taken the more severe Third Romana, President of Gallifrey during the Time War. The Doctor's heart felt a little heavy as she recalled the last time she had spoken to Romana. It was just before he removed The Moment from the vault with the intention of burning Gallifrey. They shared one final kiss outside the vault before Romana held off the Chancellery Guards, allow The Doctor to escape. The Time Lady was sure that she could feel the tender touch of Romana's lips on hers right now. She slowly opened her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, she missed her friend terribly.

"Doctor", The Time Lady jumped and bumped straight into Orson Pink. The FSEC leader held a torch that stung The Doctor's eyes, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you", he apologised, "you shouldn't be out here alone".

The Doctor took a couple of moments to slow her pounding heartbeat. She had been so engrossed in her memories had been able to easily sneak up on her and she was praising many deities that it was just him and not a Time Shadow, "I appreciate your chivalrous attitude but I don't need an escort", she replied.

To her surprise, Orson just smiled, "My grandmother used to say exactly the same thing", he began, "but Granddad never listened. He was a soldier too, maybe being a gentleman just runs in our blood". The Doctor thought about his words and eventually gave him a tight smile. Deep down she was appreciative but she still upset with the staff of FSEC, "Look I'm sorry", Orson added. The Time Lady raised an eyebrow in surprise, Colonel Orson Pink didn't strike her as the apologising type, "I'm still not sure exactly what we've done to upset you though".

"But you're apologising anyway?" The Doctor replied in confusion, "you're the weirdest Colonel I've ever met".

"And you're the most unusual person I've ever met", Orson stated, "but you've just saved my life, the least I can do is cover your back". The Time Lady smiled again, this time a little more genuinely than earlier. There was an honesty to this man which made her question why he was the leader of a shady Dark Sider scientific base. She mentally added that to the list of mystery surrounding FSEC right now, "What's so interesting about this woman then?" he continued, "you must be pretty close to her to run out like that".

The Doctor chuckled, "Never met her", the Time Lady pulled out her screwdriver and unlocked the door, "before we continue I've got to come clean about something", she said as the door swung open.

"You're not the head of UNIT", Orson answered, much to The Doctor surprise, "I've had my suspicions since you arrived but the bigger on the inside box was a dead giveaway".

"That's just the tip of the iceberg Colonel Pink", she smiled and pushed the door open. The first thing that hit the pair was the overwhelming smell of decay. It was something the Time Lady had come across far too many time in her lifetime, the smell of a decomposing human remains. Orson flicked the lights on, revealing two black bags lying on top of a pair of metal tables. The Doctor sighed as she glanced at the bag on her left, this must be the body of the first victim of the Time Shadows.

"Sorry about the smell", Orson began, "we had to divert power away from this room to power the one next door".

The Doctor though wasn't paying attention to the Colonel, instead she was solely focused on the other body bag. She walked slowly towards the remains and placed her hand on the shoulder of the Time Lord. She hoped that this tactile contact would reveal more about the stranger but she still wasn't feeling any familiarity. She took a deep breath, slowly pulled the zip down and almost immediately some long blonde hair tumbled out. The Time Lady continued to unzip the bag, her eyes falling out a tore patch of a tight olive green top. The skin underneath was almost pristine and the body was showing no obvious signs of injury, "What the hell", Orson gasped as he stared at the woman's body, "this part of her body was black and decaying the last time I saw it".

"It's some our species can do", The Doctor stated, continuing to inspect her fellow Time Lady, "when we're close to death, our bodies can regenerate themselves". She reached into her jacket and pulled out a stethoscope. She checked one heart and then the other, they were beating quickly but strongly.

Orson meanwhile was taken aback by this woman's declaration and stepped back nervously. Aliens were common on Earth after the Settlement Act of 2084 allowed any species to make their home on the planet. There were restrictions on their movement as well as laws against relationships with humans. Orson chewed on his lip for a moment, pushing a long forgotten and uncomfortable memory out of his head, "But she was dead, I checked her myself", he stated once he had regained his composure.

"Did you check both of her hearts though", The Doctor replied as she removed her stethoscope. Orson's tight shake of the head answered her question, "I suspect her body shut down to preserve as much energy as possible. The Time Shadows thought she was dead and let her go but instead she was in a healing coma". The Doctor could feel the regeneration energy beginning to build in the blonde Time Lady, the final part of the process wasn't too far away. "Quickly we need to remove the bag off her", she continued, "it won't be pleasant regenerating inside a body bag".

To her surprise Orson didn't question her unusual statement, instead he helped The Doctor to free as much of the blonde body as possible from containment. As the Time Lady did this, she finally took a proper look at the blonde woman. She might've been mistaken but she looked a little bit like her fifth self, almost like she could've been his daughter. It wasn't unusual amongst Time Lords to share a familiar appearance even if they weren't related so that didn't help her with her identity. She could sense that the blonde's regeneration energy was reaching its peak, "That will have to do", she stated and grabbed hold of Orson's arm, "we need to stand back, this could be explosive".

Orson was dragged back by the Time Lady until they stood in the far corner of the room. Golden light began to accumulate around the blonde head and hands until it burst out with a violent explosion. The Doctor and Orson ducked down low as the regeneration energy smashed into the walls, buckling the heavy steel structure. The Doctor could feel the presence of the mystery Time Lady grow inside her mind and much to her surprise, a bond of family had been created. Normally that could only be formed between related Time Lords so the fact this mystery blonde could do that shocked her.

The regeneration energy began to subside and suddenly the Time Lady sat up with a violent jerk. Her previously blonde hair was now flame red, slightly wavy and hung loose around her shoulders, swaying gently with each breath she took. Her clothes were a little more torn that before, the newly regenerated Time Lady had grown about five inches than her previous incarnation. She was breathing deeply, using her arms to prop herself up. When her hair brushed in front of her blue eyes, her eyebrows shot upwards, "My hair", she cried, "what's happened to my hair". She quickly grasped her throat in shock, "Different voice, a little higher pitched than I remember".

The Doctor slowly stood up, stepping in front of a shocked Colonel Pink. The Time Lady smiled as the now red haired woman struggled to get up off her makeshift resting place. She couldn't help but chuckle when she rolled straight off the desk and landed on the floor, "First regeneration I take it", The Doctor called out. She extended her hand and helped the younger Time Lady up, "You'll get used to it", she added, "doesn't get any easier though I'm afraid".

"Regeneration?" the unidentified Time Lady asked, "I have no idea what you're talking about". The red hair looked around in confusion, almost like she wasn't sure how she was alive.

"You don't know what regeneration is?" now it was The Doctor's turn to be confused. What kind of Time Lady didn't know what regeneration was? The family bond that now existed between was awash with nervous energy from the red head and The Doctor tried to send back reassuring thoughts. This though only served to confuse the young Time Lady even more, "You'll have to forgive me, I've met a lot of Time Lords over the years but I don't believe we've been introduced", The Doctor added.

The red head was fiddling nervously with her hair, twisting it around her finger, "Jenny", she finally replied, "my name's Jenny".

"Jenny", The Doctor rolled the name around her tongue for a moment, "unusual name for a Time Lady but at least it's easy to shout in the event of a dangerous situation". She took a few moments to inspect her fellow Time Lady, she was on the skinny side with an almost boyish figure. There were quite similar in height but The Doctor was an inch or so taller, "Well it's nice to meet you Jenny, I'm The Doctor".

At the mention of that name, Jenny immediately fixed the dark haired woman with a shocked stare. This was the very person that she had spent all but a few hours of her eighty seven year life trying to find. After departing Messaline she had bounced around the sixty first century for about twenty years. It was a lonely existence punctuated with a lot of running and danger but Jenny wasn't too bothered, she was confident that her father was coming back for her. After those twenty years she decided to be more proactive in her search for The Doctor. She found a deactivated vortex manipulator and spent a few months repairing it. The rest of her first life was spent trying to find any trace of her father.

She came close on a few occasions, missing The Doctor by a few hours. Gradually she came to the conclusion that he wasn't coming back for her and that hurt more than getting shot by General Cobb. She was growing weary of travelling but then she felt an anomaly coming from the twenty second century. She was aware of her extra time sense but she wasn't trained in how to use it properly. Despite that she was aware that something big was happening in the twenty second century and only a Time Lady could fix it. Unfortunately her vortex manipulator teleported her straight into trouble and the weird shadow creatures got her. She had never felt pain like it before as the energy was drained from her body. Her final thought was about her father and the hope that at least he'd find her body. That's when she blacked out and that was the last she knew until walking up as a red head.

Now she was standing in a room that smelt like death with a dark haired woman who had introduced herself as The Doctor. She didn't want to believe it but something in the back of her mind was telling her that this was the same person, "You can't be The Doctor", Jenny muttered softly, "he was a man with brown hair-".

"Skinny, pinstriped suit and a flasher mac", The Doctor chuckled, "yeah that was me, my grunge phase as my eleventh self nicknamed it". Another wave of confusion travelled through their link and The Doctor noticed the disappointment on the red head's face. The Doctor was also puzzled, other than The Master and that incident at Naysmith Mansion with Rasillon, she didn't meet any other Time Lords during her tenth life. But this young Time Lady somehow knew what she had looked like then, "You must've met my tenth self but I'm sorry I don't remember meeting you Jenny". The apology was genuine, she really was sorry that she couldn't remember Jenny.

Jenny was crushed by The Doctor's declaration and tried to hide it but she noticed that the dark haired Time Lady could pick up on her surface thoughts. "Sorry to interrupt this", Orson interjected himself into their conversation, "but what's going on?"

The Doctor mentally cursed herself, she had forgotten that Orson was still in the room, "Just before a Time Lord or Lady dies, their bodies undergo a process called regeneration. Basically their entire genetic code gets replaced but a brand new one, it's a useful way of cheating death". She paused to allow that information to sink in to both Orson and Jenny, "The Doctor that Jenny met was my tenth self", she continued, "and I'm guessing that this is the second incarnation of Jenny", she pointed at the red head.

"So you've done this regeneration thing since you last met each other?" Orson asked The Doctor.

"Three times", she replied, "but I'm the Twelfth Doctor, number ten got a little greedy with his life", she added. The Doctor looked at Jenny with a slightly apologetic look, "I should get you back to the TARDIS, that'll help the remainder of your regeneration".

Jenny nodded but there was no enthusiasm behind her response. She followed Orson out of the room and asked herself why her father was now a woman and also couldn't remember her. She wanted to lay down and cry somewhere but she could feel the dark haired Time Lady trying to reassure her. Something about that was preventing her from completely collapsing in grief. She now knew why her father hadn't come looking for her, he had complete forgotten she had existed.

The Doctor was the last person out the room and she was trying as hard as she could to placate the young Time Lady. She felt through their bond that this Time Lady was her daughter and she could feel her disappointment. She tried to reassure her that she would get a proper explanation once the Time Shadows had been destroyed. There was a very good explanation for this situation but to give Jenny answers, she would have to reveal her second biggest secret. Something that promised never to tell anyone.

 _ **A/N -** Introducing the second incarnation of Jenny, as portrayed by Bonnie Wright. She a little jittery and nervous to begin with (wouldn't you be if you came back from the dead only to be greeted by your father, who is now technically your mother, who doesn't remember you). The remainder of the story will be about her regaining her confidence and the relationship with The Doctor. _


	6. 2: Forever Delayed

_Chapter 6 – Forever Delayed_

The journey back down the corridor was completed in an uncomfortable silence. Colonel Pink led the way, keep a close eye out for the two Time Shadow's that were still lurking inside the base. Jenny followed close behind, her arms folded across her chest and her gaze never leaving the floor. The regeneration process had left her a little confused and disorientated. She knew that her Time Lord biology made her more resilient than a human but the Time Shadow had drained a large amount of energy from her body. Jenny tried to fight the affects of the attack but the pain was too much for the young Time Lady. Her apparent rebirth in a different body was an unexpected surprise so was the reappearance of The Doctor. She had wished to see him again with her thought but now The Doctor was here but now she really wanted to be as far away from the older Time Lady as possible.

The Doctor brought up the rear, half of her brain focused on the Time Shadows and the other on the red haired Time Lady in front of her. Jenny's mental shields still weren't fully functioning so The Doctor could read every thought that flashed across her mind. It took all of The Doctor's willpower not to say anything to Jenny. She had been hit with enough revelations in the last ten minutes so this wasn't the time or place to have an in depth discussion with her apparent daughter.

Now that her euphoria of find another Time Lady had subsided, The Doctor's attention turned back towards the Time Shadows. Every negative emotion she had been feeling towards the FSEC staff bubble very quickly back to the surface. She needed to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the base and quickly. With every person they absorbed energy from, the Time Shadow's grew stronger. It was especially bad now that she knew they had taken energy from Jenny. With the energy of a Time Lady, there was a very real possibility that the creatures could escape from the base and out to the Moon colony. Jenny's regeneration would also be like a beacon to the creatures, sending them into a frenzy. The devastation they could wreak would be catastrophic if they escaped.

The trio navigated their way back to the room where the TARDIS and the other FSEC staff members were located without further incident. The moment that Jenny stepped into the room, every pair of eyes turned towards the red head. Her body language remained guarded and she tried to avoid eye contact with the pair, "Who the hell is this?" Oleg spat in the direction of the younger Time Lady.

"A rather long story that can wait for a few minutes", The Doctor placed her hands gently on Jenny's shoulders and ushered her towards the TARDIS.

"This is getting ridiculous", Oleg shook her head, "firstly that blonde, then you and finally this red head", she snorted and shook her head, "this place is meant to be secure".

The Doctor paused and let out an deep breath with an annoyed tone. She pressed the TARDIS key into Jenny's hand and swiftly turned around to face the remaining FSEC members, "And just why is meant to be secure", she began, "despite the amount of ex-military personnel, this isn't a military base". She glared as each FSEC member in turn, "You've gone out of your way to isolate you from the rest of society and that's not the only mystery surrounding this place". She turned her head slightly towards Jenny and nodded in the direction of the TARDIS, indicating that she could go inside. The younger Time Lady was a little hesitant but eventually did as she was asked.

"And what about you two Doctor", Orson asked angrily, "two aliens who claim to be ladies of time itself". At the mention of this, Will head snapped towards the Colonel. His expression turned to one of panic, something that The Doctor filed away for future use, "There's more mysteries surrounding you two than any of us".

"That's where you're wrong Colonel", The Doctor replied, "I think every single one of you has a secret and I intend to find out what they are". She held her head up proudly and placed her hands on her hips, her unease about the fixed point in the timestream was growing. She needed to deal with the Time Shadows quickly before any permanent damage was done and she couldn't do that without know their full background.

"Be careful what you wish for Doctor", Olga replied bitterly, "some things are best left in the past".

"Which is probably why you're all here", The Doctor closed her eyes briefly and took a calming breath, "we've all got secrets", her thoughts drifted towards Jenny momentarily, "but keeping them for too long will come back to haunt you eventually". She could feel the unease emanating from their thoughts, whatever was hidden in their past must be pretty bad to cause this level of discomfort. "I'll be back in a few minutes", she continued, "then we can get on with dealing with the Shadows once and for all".

The Doctor left the FSEC staff to their own thoughts and stepped into the TARDIS, shutting the door firmly behind her in the process. She took a slow walk across the gangway towards Jenny, who was staring up at the Time Rotor in awe. The Doctor could feel that the younger Time Lady was a little more comfortable inside the TARDIS but her general posture spoke of a person who was anything but happy. She was like a lost child whose entire world had been brought crashing down and that was indirectly her fault. She would have to deal with the gaps in her memory another time but right now, her focus was on Jenny, "She likes you", The Doctor called out, "it's been awhile since another Time Lady was onboard".

Jenny's head slowly lowered, "How could you forget about me Doctor?" she asked bitterly, "was I not good enough to be your daughter?" Her thoughts once again filled with sadness, reflecting on a conversation she had with the Tenth Doctor and Donna back on Messaline, "An echo you called me", she added, "not a proper Time Lady".

The Doctor cursed her tenth self for being so harsh on the young girl. No wonder this Time Lady looked so nervous since her regeneration, every negative emotion was being pulled to the surface. Her body was still settling so there was enough time to push some of that aside, if she didn't then it would become a permanent fixture of her new self. The Doctor strode purposefully over to Jenny and placed her hands on her cheeks, "Jenny look at me", she pleaded. The red head was reluctant but after a few moments, her blue eyes met with The Doctor's brown ones, "I'm so very sorry for everything you've been through and there is a perfectly good explanation for the gaps in my memory".

"You keep saying that Doctor", Jenny sniffed, "but how can I believe you?" Jenny's eyes pricked with tears as a wave of abandonment filled her body. The Doctor hadn't come back for her, she had been cast aside and left to fend for herself. The older Time Lady could feel all of these thoughts and gently shook her head, "It's true Doctor, you can shake your head all you want but you know it's true".

"Jenny, please", The Doctor said, her heart breaking at the devastated look on her daughter face.

"Just let me clean up and I'll be out of your hair", Jenny replied, "my vortex manipulator should still be working-".

"No Jenny, I'm not letting you go, not again", The Doctor said firmly. She placed her fingers against Jenny's temples and closed her eyes, "Feel my thoughts Jenny", she added with a softer tone.

Jenny wasn't sure what she was seeing but it looked like a memory of The Doctor's past. She could see a young man with floppy brown hair dressed in a tweed suit and bowtie. He was standing in front of a fierce looking older woman with short grey hair. Jenny could see that they were arguing about something before the woman stiffly nodded her head and accepted a datapad from the bowtie wearing man. A wave of emotions hit her suddenly, anger, resentment to begin with but that was followed by shock and compassion. The final emotion was the most powerful one of them all, overwhelming love for each other, "I'm not sure I understand", Jenny mumbled.

"I promised I would explain once this was over", The Doctor began, "but that was a sneak preview". The Time Lady slowly lowered her hands from Jenny head and moved them into the younger Time Lady's hands, "I'm just as angry at this situation as you are", she continued, "and you're more than welcome here with me".

Jenny slowly shook her head, "I don't know".

"You don't have to answer straight away", The Doctor continued, "just throwing it out there". She let go of Jenny's hands and her tone turned a little more business like, "Firstly we need to get rid of those Time Shadows, I'm sure you can sense something weird surrounding this base", Jenny nodded her head, "time travel wasn't meant to be invented until the twenty fourth century but somehow those guys out there have done it two centuries early. That unusual sensation you're feeling is a fixed point in time being broken in the twenty fourth century and its effects are reverberating back to their point of origin".

The younger Time Lady took all this information in but she struggled to process all of it, "What's this got to do with us?" she asked.

"We're Time Lady's Jenny", The Doctor smiled, "it's our duty to protect the space time continuum against things like this". The Doctor took a deep breath before adding, "I could really use your help with this too".

Jenny stared blankly back at The Doctor, she thought being a Time Lady was all about saving planets and lots of running. She felt like a heavy weight had been placed on her shoulders by The Doctor's statement but despite her misgiving towards the woman, she wanted to do whatever she could to help. She reached into a pocket of her torn cargo trousers and pulled out a small metal stick, "Before the Time Shadow got me, I was able to download this from the base's main computer". She handed the stick over to The Doctor, "This contains the original designs of the time machine they've built. I wasn't sure why I decided to copy them but I'm really glad I did now".

The Doctor took the stick out of Jenny's hand and plugged it into an available slot on the TARDIS, "Oh Jenny, you really are my daughter aren't you", she said happily but the moment the statement left her mouth, she instantly regretted it. Jenny's expression fell and the nervous body language came back in full force, "I'm sorry Jenny, I didn't mean it like that", she tried to apologise.

"No problem", Jenny replied in a small voice, the progress that their relationship had made in the last few minutes had been undone by a few words. "I should go and clean up", Jenny added to break the nervous silence in the TARDIS. She didn't even wait for The Doctor to point her in the correct direction, opted to try and find the wardrobe herself.

The Doctor sighed, crouched down and banged her head against the console, "Stupid mouth", she cursed. She remained crouched in that position for several minutes, hoping that she hadn't blown her relationship with Jenny. She could feel it in their mental connection that she was beginning to trust her again but that had been damaged once again by her words. The disappointment coming from the younger Time Lady was almost overwhelming at times.

From what The Doctor had been able to gleam from Jenny's surface memories, the red head had spent almost every moment of her life so far trying to track The Doctor down. Even before today, Jenny had been disappointed that she couldn't find him but her first incarnation had a more positive personality. The Second Jenny was unsure of herself and those negative thoughts were dwelling longer than they had been previously.

The TARDIS console buzzed, dragging The Doctor back to the present. The Time Lady stood up and inspected the designs of the FSEC time machine, "Where have I seen those before", she muttered to herself. She typed something into the computer and brought up the patented designs of the time travel device from the twenty fourth century. The Doctor gasped, they were almost identical. Some cosmetic changes had been made to fix in with materials available in the twenty second century but if you scratched the surface, the basic designs were the same, "Maybe this could explain why their device failed", she added.

"Find something?" Jenny asked as she approached the console. She had disposed of her damaged clothing and replaced them with a pair of pale yellow skinny jeans and a white tank top. In her hand was a murky blue coloured leather jacket and The Doctor could help but smile that she was wearing a pair of white Converse trainers. Jenny looked down at her outfit self consciously, "What?"

"Oh nothing", The Doctor smiled, "nice sandshoes".

"They're not sandshoes", Jenny grumbled and slipped her arms into her jacket. She pulled her hair out of the jacket and allowed it flow down her back. The young Time Lady then inspected the designs that she had taken from the FSEC computer, "No wonder the machine didn't work correctly", she pointed out something on the plan. It was a labelled as time capsule on the plans and to the untrained eye, it looked like a cage, "FSEC used aluminium and copper to insulate the capsule".

The Doctor looked a little closer and frowned, "So they did", she smiled, "good point Jenny I would've missed that". The older Time Lady felt a small amount of pride that Jenny had been able to spot that so quickly and out the corner of her eye, she could see the red head blush at the praise. The Doctor knew why FSEC had used these metals for their capsule, the alloys that would be used in the original plans hadn't been discovered at this point in the timeline. "What concerns me is that these plans look identical to the ones from the twenty fourth century", The Doctor added.

"Could they have lain dormant?" Jenny posed the question, "I heard about someone called Da Vinci would came up with designs well ahead of this time that weren't discovered until centuries later".

Once again The Doctor couldn't help but feel pride at the sharpness of this young Time Lady. All she needed was a small spark of confidence to get her going, "Right again Jenny", she continued, "of course old Leo did borrow some of those off me but that's another story". The Doctor thought about this for a moment, could Will Lancaster's designs have been hidden for two centuries only to be discovered in the twenty fourth century? "Whilst it's a good suggestion Jenny, I don't think that's the case", The Doctor stated, "Leonardo Da Vinci lived in an age before computers and the internet so his designs could stay hidden a little easier". The Doctor paused briefly before adding, "Plus if that was the case then building the machine wouldn't have damaged a fixed point in time".

"So what do you suggest?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor gave her a small smile, "We do this the old fashioned way but first I'm going to teach you the most important lesson of being a Time Lady".

Jenny frowned, "What's that?"

"Making an entrance of course", The Doctor beamed and pointed towards the door, "after you Jenny".

The younger Time Lady stared at The Doctor in bemusement before reluctantly leading the way out of the TARDIS. When the pair emerged back in the room, the FSEC staff members immediately ceased their conversations and stared at the Time Lady's. Jenny stood to one side with her arms crossed in front of her body whilst The Doctor placed her hands into her pockets and waited for one of the humans to speak, "Alright Doctor we'll answer your questions", Orson began with a defeated tone, "but question you need to tell us who you are?"

The Doctor winked at Jenny and took a couple of steps forward, "Who are we?" she began, "this is Jenny and my name is The Doctor, we're Time Lady's originating from the planet Gallifrey. It's our sworn duty to upload the laws of time and repair any damage to the space time continuum". She paused and held her head a little higher, "Your little time travel experiment has damaged the time stream and we will correct this by any means necessary. If you have any complaints keep them to yourself". The Doctor almost revelled in the nervous expressions on the humans faces but Jenny merely rolled her eyes at the older Time Lady's antics, "Does anyone have a problem with that? "she added. In response she was greeted with a wall of deafly silence.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	7. 2: The Truth Is Out There

_Chapter 7 – The Truth Is Out There_

 _Previously - The Doctor winked at Jenny and took a couple of steps forward, "Who are we?" she began, "this is Jenny and my name is The Doctor, we're Time Lady's originating from the planet Gallifrey. It's our sworn duty to upload the laws of time and repair any damage to the space time continuum". She paused and held her head a little higher, "Your little time travel experiment has damaged the time stream and we will correct this by any means necessary. Any complains about this, don't bother because we are the highest authority you're ever going to meet". The Doctor almost revelled in the nervous expressions on the humans faces but Jenny merely rolled her eyes at the older Time Lady's antics, "Does anyone have a problem with that? "she added. In response she was greeted with a wall of deafly silence._

"So it's true then", Will said, finally breaking the silence, "you really are aliens".

"Really, that's the most important thing on your mind", Olga snorted, "I don't believe any of this, damaging the time stream, what a load of rubbish".

The Doctor took a couple of deliberate steps towards the blonde haired woman, slowly circling her in the process. This was the part of her adventure she loved the most, her chance to show how clever she was, "Please Miss Kurychenko you can drop the act now", she stated, flicking the hair of FSEC's second in command. Olga recoiled slightly at the touch and frowned at the Time Lady, "Your deception was almost perfect", The Doctor continued, "until your quoted your resident number that is".

"What are you going on about Doctor?" Orson growled in frustration.

The Time Lady stopped and stared straight into the icy blue eyes of Olga Kurychenko. She gave the Eastern European woman a small smirk, "There are no resident numbers starting with the letter E, in fact they're reserved for government agents, only to be used during deep undercover mission". A brief look of panic flashed across Olga's eyes but she quickly managed to suppress it, "Emotional suppression, Eastern European descent all of which points to one thing", The Doctor continued, "Miss Kurychenko is an agent with the NKGB".

"Eurasian intelligence", Jenny spoke up for the first time, "what business would they have investigating a Dark Sider research base?"

Orson stepped a little closer to Olga, he tried to make eye contact with the woman but she refused to meet his gaze. "That's something I would like to know", he said with a cold tone in his voice. Olga had been his trusted deputy for over three years and his lover for two of those years. He wasn't in love with the woman but he felt they shared a bond of trust at the very least. This revelation had shattered that illusion, "Well, answer me", he shouted, mere inches from her face.

"Orders", she grunted simply, "intelligence told us that you were on the verge of developing something truly extraordinary". She turned to face Orson and gave him a small smile, "Couldn't allow some measly Dark Sider to have access to more advanced technology than the fatherland".

Anger bubbled deep within Orson's chest and he clenched his fist in frustration. He had been played by this woman and made to look like an idiot. He opened his mouth to say something but The Doctor gently grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away, "Walk it off Colonel", she whispered, "I want her in one piece". Orson glared at the Time Lady and reluctantly did as she instructed but not before kicking a discarded metal bin. The object flew across the room and smashed into a glass panel in a nearby cabinet. Everyone, apart from The Doctor, flinched at the display of anger from Colonel Pink. For a calm and level headed person like him, this display of temper was out of character.

Ignoring the temper tantrum from Colonel Pink, The Doctor clapped her hands together, "One down, two to go", she said and turned towards Will Lancaster, "that brings me onto you William".

"Me?" Will stammered, "I've got nothing to hide".

"Other than the fact that you're a fraud", Jenny blurted out. Everyone turned towards her and she suddenly became very aware that their attention was focused solely on her. She lowered her head and added softly, "Sorry I don't know what came over me".

"Nonsense Jenny", The Doctor smiled broadly, "you took the words right out of my mouth". She located her usual desk in the room and perched herself on the surface, "The floor's all yours", he added.

Jenny looked at The Doctor and her mouth flapped open a couple of times. The older Time Lady merely shooed her away and mouthed some encouragement to her young daughter. Seeing that she wasn't going to get any further assistance from the dark haired Time Lady, Jenny straighten out her leather jacket and turned toward Will, "The plans for your time machine", she began, "I know that you didn't design them".

Will nervously ran his hands through his hair, "Now that's just ridiculous", he replied.

"Then tell me, how do you connect the thermo reactor to the central processing unit", Jenny asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Ah now that's a very good question", Will fiddled with his glasses, "something that's far too advanced for you to comprehend".

The young Time Lady was torn between annoyance with this man for undermining her intelligence and a quiet satisfaction that he was clearly stalling for time. She wondered what The Doctor would do and glanced quickly at the older Time Lady who was just sitting on the desk with half smile on her face. Jenny channelled her inner Doctor and fixed the man with a withering stare, "Please, I used string theory to find the true meaning to happiness before I turned ten", she snorted, "turns out the answer is a good cup of tea", she added with a shrug. Jenny turned back towards The Doctor who gave her a nod of encouragement. The information she had given was a complete lie but the human scientist didn't know that, "Don't insult my intelligence again William and just answer the question", she snapped.

"Stop playing around Will, we both know that she's right", Olga groaned. Everyone glanced in her direction, "You are a bumbling idiot who couldn't even tie his own shoes. Quite how you've become so acclaimed in the scientific community is beyond me".

"Like we can trust the word of a spy", Will snorted.

"At least she's been honest with us", Jenny interjected herself in the argument, "now are you going to answer my question?"

Will chewed on his lip for a few moments, he could feel several pairs of eyes glaring in his direction, "Fine you connect the thermo reactor to the CPU using fully insulated diamond filament cables. It protects against electrostatic feedback", he lifted his arms up and dropped them against his legs, "happy now".

From the corner of the room, The Doctor loudly clapped her hands together in a round of applause, "Good work Jenny", she smiled, "he walked right into that one". The red haired Time Lady blushed at the praise, pushing her hair behind her ear in the process. The Doctor jumped off the desk and walked briskly towards Will, winking at Jenny as she passed the younger Time Lady. Jenny was slowly warming towards this woman, despite her blunt nature she showed genuine warmth towards her.

"W-What trap", Will stammered, "everything I said was true".

The Doctor clapped Will on the shoulders as she walked past him, "Oh William that would be true if your machine had a thermo reactor". Olga snorted with laughter as Will's shoulder slumped in defeat, "Not sure what you're laughing at Citizen Kurychenko, William is still an intelligent man and not a dirty lying spy like you", The Doctor added with a biting tone, stopping Olga's laughter immediately. "He clearly knows a lot about electrical engineering, just not enough to design a fully functioning time machine". The Time Lady stopped in front of Colonel Pink, "As to who did design that machine I'm still working on that", she paused for a moment, "any ideas Colonel".

Colonel Pink frowned, "Not sure what your insinuating Doctor".

"Nothing yet but give me time", the Time Lady smiled and began to pace, "tell me about the other members of your team, the ones that can't speak for themselves", her gaze briefly fell on Kat Brinkley who was still lying unconscious in her bed.

Orson straightened himself up, "Not much to tell, Michel arrived at the same time I did, about five years ago. Kat arrived about two years ago with Townsend in tow, they had both recently graduated from University and came highly recommended".

"By who?" Jenny asked, "can't imagine a shady operation like FSEC has too many ties to legitimate institutions, let alone a prestigious University".

Will sighed loudly, "By me, they were students of mine back on Earth". He paused for a few moments, wringing his hands together nervously, "I was Kat and Townsend's Professor at University when they came to me with a design for a time machine. I didn't believe them at first but their design was like nothing I've ever seen before".

"So you passed it off as your own", The Doctor surmised the rest of his confession. Her opinion of this man who claimed to be a scientist was diminishing by the second. She didn't need to hear how he stole the ideas of his students relayed in detail. It probably wasn't the first time he had done this, in fact The Doctor guessed that this was how he made his living. His former students could try to take legal action but without financial backing or any proof, they probably wouldn't get very far.

The older Time Lady placed her fingers on her chin and took a couple of steps away from the group, "So we've got a spy, a deceitful scientist, two former students, some hired muscle and a Colonel", The Doctor looked closely at Orson Pink, "just where do you fit into this Colonel?"

"You're asking the wrong questions", a raspy voice called out from behind them. Everyone turned around and to their surprise, Kat was sitting bolt upright in her bed. Her brown hair was matted to the side of her face and her pupils were dilated but very alert. She gave The Doctor a sadistic looking smile, "Perhaps you should try questioning me". The Doctor pulled out her sonic screwdriver and scanned the woman, "Put that stupid device down Time Lord", she spat, "although Time Lady would be more accurate, that did come as a surprise to us".

The Doctor quickly checked her screwdriver and sighed, Kat's vital signs were fading fast. This could be the only opportunity to question the woman before they dropped to a dangerously low level. She crouched down near Kat's bed and tried to scan her surface thoughts but to her surprise there wasn't any. Either she had very good mental shields or she wasn't truly conscious. Pushing those thoughts aside, she placed her hands on the bed and gave Kat a sad smile, "Oh Katherine, I'm very sorry for what's happened to you".

"I don't need your sympathy Time Lady", Kat snorted, "from you or your little human pet". Jenny was about to respond but The Doctor held out her hand to stop her. The younger Time Lady's face fell and she stepped away from the conversion, resting herself against the TARDIS, "This was all my idea", Kat continued, "I came up with the designs for the machine, blackmailed Townsend and Professor Lancaster into help me. All I needed was to find the perfect place to carry out my plan and what better place than here", she opened her arms out, "a sanctuary for the disgraced".

Kat's gaze fell on Colonel Pink but the man stood there emotionless, at least on the surface. The Doctor could sense some panic coming off the Colonel but she would worry about that later. Right now she had to unravel the mystery surround the dying woman in front of her. "Alright let's say I believe you Katherine Brinkley", she began before shrugging, "actually I don't believe most of what you said because a young graduate doesn't just come up with a design for a time machine". She glared directly into Kat's eyes, "We both know that those designs came from the twenty fourth century but what I don't know is who is pulling your strings and to what purpose".

Kat smiled but then she coughed loudly, forcing her to cover her mouth. She pulled her hand away, revealing some blood on her palm. Kat looked at the blood and chuckled loudly, "Congratulations Doctor, you passed their test". Her body began to spasm and she began to foam at the mouth, "You'll never see them coming Doctor, not until it's too late". Kat flopped back onto her bed and was now having a full seizure. The Doctor grabbed her arms to stop her thrashing around too wildly but she knew that the young woman's time was up. The seizure began to abate and Kat began to settle down. She was still breathing but it was extremely shallow and her pulse was weak.

The Doctor scanned her again but her vital signs were worst than before, "Will she be alright?" Jenny asked. She was now standing just behind The Doctor's right shoulder with a worried look on her face.

"No Jenny", The Doctor sighed and stood up, "whoever was controlling her actions programmed a failsafe into her brain. Once she revealed her true nature, her brain was programmed to biologically self destruct". She glanced down at the brunette lying peacefully on the bed, "She could physically live for another fifty years but she will be as unfeeling as the dead until the day she joins them", she added grimly. Jenny looked at The Doctor, the older Time Lady's mind was swirling with a mixture of anger at the brain death of a promising young woman and confusion as to who would use her like this. "You're probably wondering why I let her think that you were human", The Doctor began, "I didn't know if anyone was listening to the conversation so I wanted to keep the presence of another Time Lady secret, at least for now". She turned around and looked directly at the red head, "I hope you can forgive me".

Jenny looked into The Doctor's pleading eyes and slowly nodded in confirmation. She could almost feel the mental weight getting lifted off The Doctor shoulder when she forgave him, "Any idea who would do this?" she asked, steering the conversation in a difference direction.

"Sadly when you live for over two thousand years, you pick up the odd mortal enemy or two", The Doctor said grimly. She then turned her attention towards the three remaining FSEC staff members, all of whom had different expressions on their faces. Will looked genuinely upset with his former student's death, although technically he was off the hook in regards to the blackmail that Kat had put him through. Olga was as emotionless as always but Colonel Pink was the hardest one to read. Did it have something to do with his big secret that had yet to be revealed?

"Perhaps it's time to clear out the Time Shadows", Orson suggested. It would give everyone something to focus on rather than the death of three of his co-workers. "Then we can get out of this damn hangar for good", he added.

"Yeah must've been like a prison to you", Olga said with a smirk.

The Doctor noted the surprised look on Orson face when the words came out of Olga's mouth. Clearly she knew his big secret which wasn't a great surprise, she was a spy after all, "Yes good idea", The Doctor replied, filing this away for future use, "I have an idea for removing the Shadows but we need to find a way to drive them into the central hangar".

"We split up into two groups", Jenny suggested, "attack from both sides and corral them into the hangar". She became very self conscious again as everyone looked at her, "Unless anyone else has a better suggestion".

"No that's absolutely perfect", The Doctor smiled, "Jenny and I will be in two different parties. Our physiology will smell like a feast to them so that should be enough to attract them". She then turned to Jenny and offered her sonic screwdriver, "I'll be heading to the control room, you can use this to open the door around the other side".

Jenny shook her head and pulled something out of her pocket. It was roughly the size and thickness of a fountain pen with a bulbous metal attachment on top. When Jenny pushed a little switch on the side, it lit up and emitted a noise just like her screwdriver, "You made your own sonic screwdriver?" The Doctor said with a smile.

"Sonic pen technically", Jenny pushed down on the bulbous end and the nib of a fountain pen popped out the bottom, "it was the best I could do with the technology I found on my travels".

The Doctor beamed with pride, her daughter had made her sonic device. She grabbed Jenny head and placed a firm kiss on her forehead, "Oh that's my girl", she said warmly. She released Jenny and marched towards the door, "Will you're with me, Jenny I'm trusting you to keep Agent Kurychenko and Colonel Pink out of trouble". The door opened and the older Time Lady stepped outside, "We'll meet in the central hangar", she called out before disappearing out of view.

"You'd better go after her", Jenny said to Will. The scientist looked hesitant under Olga gave him a forceful shove out the door. Jenny then looked at her assigned team, two people who had been in an intimate relationship but were now experience severe trust issues. Jenny sighed, The Doctor was really throwing her in at the deep end with this one, "Come on we've got some Shadows to hunt", she said to her team.

As they reached the door, Olga stated, "So is that woman a relation of yours?"

"She my father", Jenny replied, "well my mother now", she paused to think for a couple of moments, "actually she's technically both".

"How can she be both?" Orson asked in confusion.

"Long story", Jenny checked her torch, "although she forgot I existed until about half an hour ago". She looked at the shocked expressions on the humans faces, "Yeah tell me about it", she sighed. "Now what was it my Dad used to say at a time like this", he snapped her fingers, "ah that's it, come along you two, allons-y".

Jenny hurried out the room, thankful for something to distract her from thinking about her relationship with The Doctor. Orson was close behind but Olga hung back for a moment, "This is really fucked up", she groaned before hurrying to catch up with the other two.


	8. 2: Fumbling In The Dark

_Chapter 8 – Fumbling In The Dark_

The cold steel walls of FSEC North Corridor echoed to the sound of three pairs of feet. Above the small group's heads, the dim emergency lighting flicked and buzzed periodically. The sound added to an already disconcerting atmosphere between the trio. There had been no sightings of the Time Shadows in the corridors and they were running out of places to search. At the head of the group, Jenny tried her best to convey an air of confidence but deep down she knew that it was just an act. The regeneration process was still settling but even at this early stage, she could feel some significant differences between her new body and her previous one. She was a couple of inches taller and a little leaner than before, something she attributed to the reduced muscle mass than previously.

That brought her onto her main concern about her lack of muscle, her military training had been muted. She could still feel it there at the back of her mind but the urge to be a soldier was nowhere near as prominent as before. Her genetically engineered training had been with her from the moment she had been born and now that she was without it, Jenny wasn't so confident of her own abilities. How much of her intelligence, stamina and physical prowess been down to the hard coded information of the progeneation process? If she didn't have this to fall back on, what kind of person was she?

In the middle of the group, Colonel Pink tried his best to focus on the task at hand but he was distracted by the two women of his group. The red haired alien who had physically changed appearance right in front of him, that was something he wasn't expecting. He could tell by her hunched shoulders that Jenny was deep in thought. He had tried to get some answers out of her but she had blown him off fairly quickly, stating that he had no idea what she was going through. She was right about that, he really didn't have any idea what it was like to come back to life in a different body.

Orson's thoughts then drifted to Olga, or Agent Kurychenko to give the woman her proper title. She had done an excellent job at deceiving him and the rest of the FSEC staff for the last few years. He wondered what led her to sleep with him on numerous occasions, surely that wasn't part of her mission? Maybe a small part of her did find him attractive but he would probably never know the truth. If what The Doctor had said was true and she was using an emotional suppressor, she could easily conceal the truth from him. Suppressors were, in his opinion, the worst invention to come out of the twenty first century. They had started off as a form of punishment, a way of control even the most unruly person but soon their use moved out into the military. He shook his head as he thought about his former unit, a number of them had used suppressor. All of them were now dead, such a waste of life.

The convoy halt as Jenny used her sonic pen to unlock the central door in the corridor. The high pitched whistling reverberated down the metal hallway and Olga looked blankly over her shoulder, "Still no Shadows", she stated with a bored tone in her voice, "how disappointing".

"Cheer up would you", Jenny groaned, enlisting Orson's help to pull the door open, "in a few hours you'll be free to go home".

"Away from this metal box, away from me", Orson added. He gazed at the blonde hair woman in annoyance, trying to force a reaction from her.

Olga lifted an eyebrow slightly but her face remained a stony mask, "Don't really have a home", she stated, "Kyiv was razed to the ground by the invading Eurasian Army. That's when they took me you know, just five years old and already I was on the path to becoming the spy you see before you".

Jenny and Orson shared a quick look between themselves, alarmed by the matter of fact way that Olga was talking about her past. It was like she was reading it out of a book rather than feeling the emotions of her experiences, "Emotional inhibitors", Jenny groaned, "can't stand the things". Orson had pulled the door shut and Jenny buzzed them through the next set of doors, "I came across a small planet about ten years ago, everyone in power used emotional inhibitors. They thought it helped them make the correct decisions for their people by looking at thing without bias and prejudice".

"Let me guess, it wasn't that easy", Orson sighed. His experience in the Army was similar, without fear his fellow soldiers would charge towards enemy lines only to be gunned down without making any attempt to save themselves, "Humans have a self preservation instinct for a reason", he added with a quiet whisper.

"Not quite what I meant Colonel", Jenny replied, "I take you've experienced inhibitors before", he nodded in response, "is that why you got kicked out the Army".

"Nope, he had a relationship with an alien", Olga said bluntly. Orson's head snapped around and he glared angrily at the woman, "Can't remember if she was green skinned or green tentacled, she added, ignored the stare of Colonel Pink, "I would watch your back Jenny, he'll be after you next".

"Nothing wrong with that", Jenny replied but her response was met with a stony silence from Olga and Orson. She turned around and continued to take some small steps backwards, "Is there something against having a relationship with an alien?" The young Time Lady had been born in the sixty first century, long after the sexual revolution had taken place. Here in 2120 though, engaging in any kind of relationship with an alien species wasn't illegal but it was morally questionable, especially in the armed forces.

"Clearly my CO thought so", Orson grumbled, "I was shunted up here five years ago as punishment. They couldn't say it of course, that would be discrimination". He looked down towards the ground as the memories of his court martial came flooding back. The looks of disgust from everyone on the panel was permanently into his brain, "I was embarrassment to the Army they said", Orson added bitterly. "Michel was technically my probationary officer", Olga turned her head slightly, that was news even to her, "but he shared some of my views on sexuality. Together we assembled a team that we could trust", he snorted and glanced at Olga, "at least I thought we could".

"I didn't know", Olga whispered, showing a small amount of emotion for the first time. Jenny frowned slightly as her eyes flicked between the couple. They led her to believe that their relationship was physical only. The ice maiden have genuine feelings for the Colonel?

"Well now you do", Orson sighed bitterly, "I'm not in command of anything here, I'm giving the illusion of freedom but the truth is that this is just a gilded cage". A look of hopelessness was etched onto the man's face, "You'll get to go back to your life in Eurasia but I'll be stuck here without hope until the army decides what to do with me". For a brief moment Jenny felt the Colonel's fighting spirit fade but he masked that very quickly. She sympathised with the man, she had lived in hope for so long only to have it extinguished in a flash. She still had a chance with the new Doctor though, that was one more chance than Colonel Pink had.

The moment was interrupted by the loud shrieking noise of an angry Time Shadow. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the sound and fumbled for their torches, "Stay alert", Jenny hissed, "I've been touched by one of these things and trust me, you really don't want to feel that kind of pain".

The trio flicked their torches on and shone their gingerly down the corridor. They could just about make out Kat's Shadow and the creature cried out angrily when the beam of light touched it's distorted body, "Alright little miss Time Lady", Olga whispered, "what do we do now?"

The old Jenny would've had a plan come instantly to mind but this Jenny wasn't quite so sure. Their backs were against a locked door but they could easily pass through if necessary. The problem was that they needed to get the Time Shadows to follow them. By entering the airlock style entrance behind them, they potentially left themselves in a tight spot if something went wrong. Jenny dithered for a few moments but fortunately for her, Orson came to her rescue, "We've got no choice", he said in a commanding voice, "we need to lead them into the inner hangar so we have to draw them this way".

"Too risky, if the inner door is jammed then we're sitting ducks", Olga replied.

"Now you decide to get emotionally involved", Orson groaned and turned towards Jenny, "The Doctor put you in charge so it's your call".

That wasn't something that Jenny wanted to hear, she didn't want to be responsible if they were trapped in their corridor by the Shadows. She began to wonder how she had done this for eighty seven years but now wasn't the time to dwell on her memories, two people were waiting for her response. She straightened her jacket and replied, "Orson you draw them towards us, Olga and I will get the inner door open".

Colonel Pink nodded, "Alright but make it quick", he gripped his torch a little tighter and began turning it off and on at a rapid pace.

Jenny and Olga slipped through the inner door and left it slightly open. The Time Lady lined herself up with the inner hangar door and flicked her sonic pen but to her shock, it failed to open, "Come on Red we don't have all day", Olga snapped.

"I'm trying but I'm struggling to override the security system", Jenny replied and tried a different setting on her pen. The door still refused to budge and they could hear the Time Shadow's getting closer, "I don't understand, this should be working", she stammered, mystified that the door wasn't opened.

Olga groaned and pushed Jenny aside, "Out the way", she grumbled and pulled an access panel off, "some super intelligent alien you are". As the blonde haired woman played around with some wires, Jenny took a step back and tried to think of a retort but nothing was coming to mind. A small part of her believed that the NKGB Agent was correct, she should've been able to get that door open quickly. The Doctor would've been able to and so would her previous self, that was the truth of the matter. Whatever she had regenerated into, it wasn't a confident, intelligent Time Lady she thought to herself.

Jenny watched in awe as Olga preceded to hotwire the hangar door. The heavy metal door groaned and slowly began to rise into the roof. Behind the door was an extremely dark room, only the faint glow of the time machine could be seen in the distance, "Make sure the room is clear", Olga ordered, "I'll help the Colonel corral those Shadow things". The blonde pushed past again, knocking Jenny into the wall. The red head rubbed her arm and winced slightly in pain, something else her previous self wouldn't have done.

She pointed her torch in the direction of the inner hangar and took a nervous step inside. She jumped slightly when she brushed against loose wires hanging down from the ceiling. Pushing them out the way, she slowly made her way towards the time machine. Jenny paused a few paces away from the contraption, a weird feeling began to rush over her. Something about this machine felt wrong, like it wasn't meant to belong here, "This must be what The Doctor meant", she whispered before focused her senses on the world around her.

For the first time, Jenny could feel several timelines converging on the machine in front of her. She opened her eyes and could see several bright strands of light swirling around the room, "Every single possibility", she muttered to herself, "I can see it all". As the timelines continued to move, Jenny finally felt like she was a proper Time Lady. Prior to her regeneration she could feel something but nothing as intense as this. The mental block on her military training suddenly felt insignificant, especially if the reward was being able to feel time itself.

Suddenly a sense of alarm filled the young Time Lady. A ripple shot through the timelines, causing a few of them to crumble, "The fixed point", she gasped out loud. This was the effect that The Doctor had been talking about. By attempting to break a fixed point, several future possibilities were being erased. If this continued much longer only one would remain and this would become the new fixed point. Jenny wasn't sure which timeline would survive but several positive outcomes had been eliminated by the ripple. If the damage remained unchecked, the greater the chance was of an unhappy ending. "I could really use some help right about now", she groaned.

" _And you will get it",_ The Doctor's voice spoke inside her head, _"telepathic link, it's a Time Lady thing",_ The Doctor added, sensing the young Time Lady's confusion. _"Just hold on for a few more minutes, Will and I have nearly fixed the interface"._

"Erm, alright", Jenny stated, feeling a little weird that she was technically talking to herself. She didn't get a reply from The Doctor so she assumed that she was concentrating on reactivating the time machine.

Heavy footsteps echoed off the metal floor of the hangar as Orson and Olga charged into the room, their faces illuminated by torchlight alone, "The Shadows are on their way", Orson stated, "they'll be here any second".

"The Doctor won't be ready for another few minutes", Jenny replied with panic in her voice.

Olga was about to respond but she was interrupted by the loud cry of a Shadow. Inside the empty hangar, the noise seemed to hang in the air. Now was the time for Jenny to come up with something clever to hold the Shadow off but right now, she really couldn't think of anything. Another couple of positive timelines shattered around her, they were running out of time.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _ **A/N -** Bit more of an insight into the new Jenny. She's a little unsteady on her feet but that'll change in the next episode which is just two chapters away._


	9. 2: Hollow Victory

_Chapter 9 – Hollow Victory  
_

Inside the control room for the time machine, The Doctor crouched down next to the computer bank. Her sonic screwdriver was clenched between her teeth as she fiddled with some wires connecting the computers together. Will stood in a dark corner of the room with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his boiler suit. The Time Lady had banished him to the corner almost the moment they had stepped into the room. Officially he was on guard duty but unofficially, The Doctor refused to accept help from the fraudulent scientist.

Occasionally the Time Lady would sneak a look at the man but every time she did, she could feel her temper bubbling away under the surface. This man had been abusing his position as a teacher to pass off ideas as his own. What made it worse was that the man was actually highly intelligent, in theory he didn't need to cheat his way to success. To her taking a short cut to success was extremely dangerous. Any competent scientist could see the potential problems with his experiment and had he done the research himself, he would've been able to fix this problem. His attempts to contain the Time Shadows had nearly destroyed the delicate systems. Fortunately there was enough for her to salvage in order to engineer a solution.

Despite her heavy workload, The Doctor was keeping some of her attention on Jenny's progress. It had been a risk, sending her off to round up the Shadows together with Orson and Olga. Jenny was clearly lacking in confidence but from the memories The Doctor had been able to see, she had some experience in leading people successfully. As the older Time Lady knew well, the best thing to do after regeneration was to get right back in the thick of things. At least Jenny wasn't suffering was any post regeneration psychosis that had affected her in the past.

The Doctor's attention was temporarily distracted by a loud tapping noise coming from the corner of the room. The Time Lady glanced up and noticed Will slapped his hands rhythmically against his thighs. She grumbled under her breath trying to block the noise out, instead she attempted to focus on rewiring the time machine's controls. Only a few more seconds passed before the Time Lady could tolerate the sound no longer, "Are you trying to deliberately annoy me", The Doctor snapped without looking up from her work.

"Sorry Doctor", he apologised, "I didn't realise it was annoying you".

"Right now your very existence is annoying me so kindly stand there and don't make a sound", the Time Lady shook her head and continued with her wiring job.

For a few seconds Will didn't know how to respond to The Doctor, instead he chose to thrust his hands deeply into his pockets. The university professor seethed at the alien woman's comments, questioning her right to judge him so harshly. He wasn't claiming to be an innocent person, he knew everything he had done was wrong but he had his reasons. Finding some courage even he didn't know he possessed, he called out, "You don't understand what it was like Doctor, the pressure everyone put me under".

The Time Lady ignored him for a moment as she used the sonic screwdriver to activate some parts, "Talking counts as making noise William", she stated, "don't make me tell you again".

The only sound that filled the room after that dismissive comment was the high pitch whirr of the sonic screwdriver. Ignoring her dismissal, Will continued, "I was a teenage wunderkind, lauded by the scientific community". He shuffled nervously on the point, "Then the ideas dried up and everywhere I went, people kept asking me what my next project was".

"So that's when you hit on the bright idea of stealing the dreams of your students", The Doctor interrupted, "you'll have to forgive me for not shedding a tear William". The Time Lady stood up and brushed some dust off her purple jacket, deliberately keeping her gaze away from Will. "Answer me this", she continued, "do you even remember the names of the students you stole from?" There was no immediately answer from Will and The Doctor briefly glanced at the ceiling, "Yeah, that's what I thought", she said, her voice dripping with venom.

The Time Lady pointed her sonic screwdriver at the computer banks and they burst into life with a loud whirring noise. The previously dark room was now illuminated with unnatural light from several monitors. The Doctor allowed herself a little smile at the work she had put in to getting the systems back online but then her senses were overwhelmed by a ripple through the very fabric of space and time. The fixed point was beginning to shift and it was heading in this direction. They would have to dispose of the Time Shadows and quickly.

The Doctor closed her eyes and reached out to Jenny just as the young Time Lady called out for some assistance. The Doctor felt that she was in the main hangar near the time machine platform. She reached outwards with her mind to reassure her daughter, _"And you will get it",_ she said, referring to the assistance that Jenny required. _"Telepathic link, it's a Time Lady thing",_ The Doctor added with a lighter tone. _"Just hold on for a few more minutes, Will and I have nearly fixed the interface"._ The raven haired woman had to snort at that thought, Will hadn't done anything other than annoy her.

She spun around and cast her eyes at the monitors, the main interface was online so all she had to do was activate the start up sequence. Her fingers were a blur as she activated the machine, the click of her keystrokes bouncing off the walls of the room. The Doctor hit the enter key and she heard a gentle hum coming from the main hangar, the machine had been activated. "You really want to make up for your past mistakes William", the Time Lady said, finally making eye contact with the man. He nodded slowly in response, "In 60 seconds the sequence will finish and all you need to do is push the start button to gain access to the time vortex".

"That's it", Will frowned, "the process was much longer before".

"Well it's amazing what you can do if you actually know what you're doing", she replied snidely. The Time Lady pointed her sonic screwdriver at the man, "Don't even think about running away, if you do then you'll wish you'd never been born". She took a step towards the ruined blast screen that used to shield the room from the hangar, "And you're looking at one of the few people who can make that wish come true, don't forget that".

She stepped onto the broken glass that used to be in the blast screen, the material crunched underneath her feet with every step. The Time Lady jumped through the gap and immediately felt the icy presence of the Time Shadows. As she sprinted towards the raised platform, The Doctor wondered if she had been a little harsh on Will. Unlike some other frauds she had met in the past, he did seem genuinely remorseful for his actions. Nevertheless what he had done was completely immoral and had ruined the lives of several of his students. His actions had also indirectly led to these events, the deaths of two people and the near destruction of a fixed point.

Shaking off her doubts The Doctor quickly spotted the two Time Shadows closing in on Jenny and the others. Without breaking her stride, she grasped the younger Time Lady by the arm and dragged her towards the raised platform, "Quickly, this way", she shouted. Jenny's cried out in pain as her arm was nearly wrenched out its socket by the older Time Lady. Orson and Olga quickly followed the two Time Lady's and climbed up the steps onto the platform.

The moment the group stepped onto the platform, they could feel the hairs on the back of their necks standing on end. They could feel the heat coming off the glass floor underneath them and it was rising, "You got the machine working?" Orson asked The Doctor.

"Was there any doubt?" she smiled, drawing an eye roll from the younger Time Lady. The Time Shadows were screeching loudly as they nervously approached the platform. Their heads tilted to one side as they inspected the device with suspicion.

"What's the plan Doctor?" Jenny whispered, her eyes never moving from the approaching Time Shadows.

The older Time Lady gave her a small smile, "You tell me Jenny, this is just as much my idea as yours". Jenny glanced around at the two glass plates, biting her lips nervously, "Not to rush you Jenny but we only have thirty seconds until this machine fires up".

"No pressure then", Jenny slapped the older Time Lady on the arm. "Clearly you want the time machine to activate so we're here as bait to lure the Shadows into the machine". The Doctor gave her a small nod and waived her hand, asking her to continue, "You've set the co-ordinates to zap the Time Shadows to a place where they can't hurt anyone", she added.

"Couldn't have put it better myself", The Doctor beamed, "I've set the time co-ordinates for the end of the universe. Within a few seconds the Shadows will be burned out of existence by the end of time itself".

"That's a good plan Doctor but what if they don't follow us on the platform in the next twenty seconds", Olga snapped.

Orson stood protectively in front of the blonde haired woman, "I don't think that's going to be a problem", he stated. The Time Shadows were nearly at the top of the platform and were about to cross on the glass plates. The two Time Lady's and Olga slowly backed away as Orson tried his best to shield them from the Shadows, "You three step off the other side", he whispered, "I'll keep them occupied for a few seconds".

"You're attempt at chivalry really isn't necessary Colonel", The Doctor said shortly, "we're all perfectly capable of looking after ourselves".

"And I know that", Orson replied, "but you said it yourself, these things respond best to their original template", he patted himself on the chest, "I'm the best person to keep them busy".

The Doctor was reluctant to leave Orson behind with the Time Shadow but she could feel the time energy building. It would only be a matter of seconds until the machine fully accessed the vortex and would be activated, "Fine but you better jump off the moment those Shadows step onto the platform", the Time Lady pointed her finger at the Colonel.

Olga was the first one to step off the other side, closely followed by Jenny and then The Doctor. The Time Shadows were moving too slowly for the Time Lady's liking, that wouldn't give Colonel Pink much time to make his escape. The time energy was at its peak and the lights underneath the glass plates were glowing brightly. Even the non time sensitive Olga could feel the static electricity in the air from the time machine, "Come on Colonel, step off", the blonde whispered to herself.

"Careful Comrade, you almost sounded like you cared", The Doctor tried to joke but even she was worried that Orson hadn't stepped down yet. The Time Shadows had finally stepped onto the platform but the Colonel was still standing in the middle of the plates, "Now would be a good time to move", The Doctor called out but Orson didn't move an inch, "Colonel Pink, don't make me come up and get you", she barked.

Orson turned around, his cheeks had a few damp track marks where some tears had fallen, "I'm not getting shifted to another prison just for my personal preference". He took a deep breath and stood up a little straighter, "I'm sorry everyone but this is my decision". Before anyone could approach the platform, there was a blinding light which forced the trio to quickly shield their eyes. When the light cleared the platform was empty, Colonel Pink was trapped at the end of the universe with the two Time Shadows.

"Orson", Olga whispered quietly as she approached the platform, "Orson you selfish bastard", she roared. She sunk to her knees and began to cry, her body shook with each wave of grief that passed through her body. She never got the chance to tell him that she actually liked him and now she wouldn't get the chance. Olga was so overcome with grief that she didn't even realise that she had overridden her emotional inhibitor.

Feeling uncomfortable watching the outpouring of emotion from the blonde haired woman, Jenny took a couple of steps until she was at The Doctor's side, "He planned that all along didn't he?" she said with a small voice.

"I expect so Jenny", the older Time Lady replied, her voice sounding hollow and empty. The Doctor glanced at the time machine which was slowly powering down. Orson was just another person that she had failed to save, another notch in her mental negative column. She added Michel and the permanently incapacitated Kat to that list and let out a deep sigh, "Maybe Clara was right", she muttered, "maybe I am a danger to the universe".

Jenny watched on helplessly as The Doctor wondered off towards the control room. Her shoulders were hunched and she had the shuffle of a broken woman, like the weight of the universe was bearing down on her. The staff of FSEC had been virtually eliminated, out of the original six only two were still alive and one of them was a spy. Unsure what to do next Jenny stood rooted to the spot and wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. They had gotten rid of the Time Shadows, technically they had won. So why did it feel like they had lost?


	10. 2: The End Is Also The Beginning

_Chapter 10 – The End Is Also The Beginning_

A couple of hours had passed since the Time Shadows, together with Colonel Orson Pink, had been sent to the end of the universe. The remaining quartet had gone their separate ways, each trying to deal with the events in their own way. Will had quietly slunk away to pack his stuff together before the others had even reached the control room. The Doctor had made it very clear that he wasn't her favourite person. The disgraced scientist didn't want to exasperate the situation by getting into an argument with the Time Lady. He had respected Colonel Pink, in particular his leadership. Orson was a fair leader, he never saw himself as superior to anyone else on the base. Will also felt a little ashamed that he had escaped unharmed from the crisis, whereas a good man like Orson Pink had been condemned to death at the end of the universe.

Jenny didn't feel like hanging around FSEC any longer than she had to. It had been the place where she had died and reborn into this new and in her opinion, inferior body. This had also been the day that her faith in The Doctor had severely dented. She was still awaiting a full explanation from the older Time Lady. The images that The Doctor had telepathically given her were extremely confusing and slightly unsatisfactory. She guessed that the man in the bow tie had been the previous Doctor, the one who followed the man she identified as her father. Jenny still didn't know who the woman was in the images, let alone why she evoked she strong emotions from The Doctor. The older Time Lady had retreated quickly from the central hangar and Jenny didn't need telepathy to know that The Doctor wanted to be left alone for a while. That left Jenny alone in the TARDIS console room with nothing but her thoughts.

The Time Lady in question actually wasn't that far away from the TARDIS. The Doctor was sitting cross legged on top of the desk in the makeshift infirmary that she had almost claimed as her own. Her eyes were closed, keeping a silent vigil over Kat Brinkley. The young woman's condition hadn't changed and it probably never would. The Doctor tried to access her mind but there was simply nothing there. Her body was on auto pilot and it was highly unlikely that she would ever recover.

The solitude gave the Time Lady some time to think about the events that had taken place in FSEC. Two more innocent lives had been lost in defence of the universe, unnecessarily in her opinion. Michel Van Der Merwe hadn't been her favourite person, a blundering ape she remembered calling him. Doubt crept into The Doctor's mind, she had blamed Michel for his own death but was there something more she could've done?

Orson on the other hand was a different story. He was one of the good guys, despite his sexual orientation. His acceptance of aliens was probably decades ahead of the rest of the human race and for that, he was effectively trapped on the base. Instead of complaining about his treatment, Orson tried to make the best of his situation and he even attempted to advance the very humanity that had rejected him. Perhaps that had been the reason for Orson's suicidal decision, The Doctor pondered. FSEC was basically a golden cage to Orson and without it he would probably get shunted to some other part of the galaxy. He chose to die a hero rather than continue living as an outcast. The Doctor respected him for that but it still didn't help ease her conscience.

The doors to the room slid open but The Doctor didn't need to open her eyes to know who had entered, "Agent Kurychenko", she stated, "come to say goodbye".

There was silence for a couple of moments until Olga replied, "Actually I've come to see if you're alright".

Curious, The Doctor opened her eyes slowly and inspected the woman. Olga was usually very rigid and upright but the blonde standing in front of her was slouching. Her usually razor sharp eyes were dull and focusing aimlessly on the room. The Doctor nodded her head slowly, Olga Kurychenko had a look on her face that had mirrored her own from just a few hours ago, "You really loved him didn't you?" she asked.

Olga shuffled nervously and looked towards the far end of the room, "I'm not sure I really knew how to love", she whispered. Olga reached into her boiler suit and pulled out a few glass phials and syringes and slammed them down on to the metal table near the door, "I'm done taking these", she continued, "I want to be able to feel again". She shook her head a couple of times which allows some strands of blonde hair to come loose, "Maybe if I wasn't taking these things then Orson would've have died without known how I felt".

The Doctor felt for the woman in front of her. Olga was very much a product of her country, the perfect spy who would do exactly what they wanted without question. The problem was that you could never truly suppress human emotion. If there was one thing The Doctor had learned from her travels it was that human emotion was arguably the strongest force in the universe. Sure it was occasionally their weakness but it was also their greatest strength, "Your country won't like this", The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Then I just won't tell them", Olga shrugged, "I've been a spy since I can remember, I've picked up a few tricks along the way". The blonde haired woman looked down at the stricken form of Kat with a look of sympathy. She had found the young woman cheerful and occasionally irritating but she didn't deserve to have her mind wiped, "Who do you think she was referring to?" Olga asked The Doctor, "the mystery people she mentioned".

The Time Lady thought about that for a couple of moments. This was the second mystery she had on her hands. Firstly there was the temporal machine from the thirty first century that had turned up in 2014 and now someone had attempted to break a fixed point in time. Whoever it was, they had covered their tracks well. The machine in central London had burned itself to a crisp and now they had the presence of mind to wipe the brain of their unwilling accomplice. They were devious, dangerous and worst of all, they had no regard for human life. "Honestly Agent Kurychenko, I've no idea", The Doctor said with a hollow voice.

It was a half truth from the Time Lady she had plenty of ideas, some more likely than others. The most depressing thing for the Time Lady was that her mental list was extremely long, one of the many curses for living for over two thousand years. Seeing the deflated look on the blonde face, The Doctor added with a low, powerful whisper, "I'll find them though Olga, I promise if it's the last thing I do, I'll stop them from doing this again".

Olga nodded slowly, convinced by the emotion shown by the Time Lady, "I believe you Doctor", she briefly glanced at Kat's body on the floor, "my people will take care of her, maybe she'll recover from her ordeal".

The Doctor smiled at the woman but it was a little hollow. She knew that the chances of Kat recovering were almost zero but she didn't want to extinguish Olga's hope. She jumped down off the desk and took a couple of paces until she was standing beside her TARDIS, "Take care of yourself Agent Kurychenko", The Doctor smiled and stepped into her time machine, shutting the doors on FSEC, hopefully for the last time.

The Time Lady took a couple of steps across the metal walkway and immediately noticed Jenny staring intently at one of the TARDIS monitors. She smiled to herself as the younger Time Lady twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger. Jenny hadn't even realised that she was no longer alone inside the TARDIS, she was that focused on whatever she was reading. The Doctor was also happy to see that the TARDIS had accepted Jenny so quickly. No one else had been given such easy access to the systems before, except for other Time Lords of course.

The Doctor took a slow walk up the walkway and approached the console. She perched herself next to Jenny but she was surprised by the content on the screen. Jenny was reviewing some of the later adventures of the Tenth Doctor, the current Doctor immediately recognised the Dalek Crucible on screen, "I wouldn't watch any more", she stated, "unless you want to give yourself nightmares".

"Trust me, I've see my fair share of traumatic events over the years", Jenny replied without taking her eyes off the screen. The Doctor frowned at the statement, Jenny wasn't even ninety years old yet. What had she seen in her relatively short life? "I'm trying to catch up on your life", Jenny continued, "perhaps I can understand why your memories are messed up".

"Oh Jenny", The Doctor sighed. It was a sweet gesture by her daughter but The Doctor knew exactly why there were big holes in her memory. She leaned over Jenny and released the handbrake on the TARDIS, sending them safely out into the Time Vortex. Once they were safely away from FSEC, the older Time Lady turned off the monitor and faced Jenny, "I promised you an explanation and now you're going to get one", she stated.

Jenny swallowed deeply, she had been desperate for an explanation but now the moment was here, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to hear it. "Perhaps we'll start with something simpler", she began, "the woman in the images, who is she?"

"Someone who's very important to my story", The Doctor took a deep breath, "you see Jenny-".

The Doctor was interrupted by a violent shudder from the TARDIS that knocked the two Time Lady's off their feet. The ship was getting thrown around violently, forcing the pair to grab onto the base of the console for their own safety. At one point the TARDIS was turned sharply on her side and the Time Lady's struggled to hold on. Jenny lost her grip on the metal pole and started tumbling towards the doors. Fortunately The Doctor grabbed hold of the red head's arm, preventing her from falling towards the chasm, "I've got you Jenny", she called out over the sound of the tolling cloister bell, "I won't let you go". The younger Time Lady believed The Doctor and clung onto her purple jacket for dear life. Finally the TARDIS righted itself and the pair slammed into the metal floor with a crash.

The TARDIS was now stable but the cloister bell continued to toll loudly. The Time Lady's stretched their bruised bodies as the bell suddenly fell silent. Everything was still and calm inside the ship, perhaps a little too quiet, "What happened?" Jenny asked with a quiet voice.

"The TARDIS has taken us somewhere", The Doctor groaned, "check the screen over there, see what it says".

Jenny gingerly got up and shuffled towards the scanner. Her knees had taken a battering and she winced with every step, "According to this we're in the constellation of Kasterborous", the younger Time Lady called out.

The Doctor froze at the mention of Kasterborous, "Impossible", she snapped, "unless", her voice trailed off as she looked up at the console from her seated position on the floor. Sitting on top was a small black box, "I thought we had more time, I didn't realise-"

"Hello future me", a cheerful voice called out from the other monitor. The Doctor instantly recognised that voice because it belonged to her immediate predecessor, "Now that you're here we can officially get this party started, the calculations should be just about finished by now".

The Time Lady slowly got up and nervously approached the screen. She signalled to Jenny to stay put as she stood in front of the screen. There were three men, one a young man with a bow tie and tweed jacket, the second was a skinny man with spiky hair and a blue pinstriped suit and finally there was a much older looking man with grey hair, shaggy beard and battered looking clothing, "Ah hello there", the oldest looking one greeted, "we're looking for The Doctor".

"You're looking at her", The Doctor replied with a small smile, "been a while since I've seen that face".

The one in the suit frowned, "You're The Doctor?" the Time Lady nodded slowly. The suited man, the Tenth Doctor, turned his head slightly to inspect his future incarnation, "Well, that's a little", he paused for moment before adding, "different". He continued to examine the current Doctor, almost disbelieving that she was telling the truth, "How far from my future are you?" he asked.

"I'm number twelve", The Doctor answered, "but you've still got a while to go until you're me".

Whilst this conversation had been taking place, the Eleventh Doctor merely stood there with a small smile on his face, "Everything worked out alright then".

"Yes Doctor it did", The Doctor smiled back, "mostly", she added with a slight grimace. She clapped her hands together, "Now then, shall we get on with saving Gallifrey", she added with a smile.

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN EPISODE 3**

 _ **A/N –**_ _Episode 2 is done and if you can't already guess, the first part of the next episode will take place at the tail end of "Day Of The Doctor". The Twelfth Doctor meets all of her previous incarnations and the truth about her apparent rebirth is revealed. I will start adding the chapter for the next "episode" onto this story probably in a week's time._

 _Good time I think to mention the general "Head Canon" of my universe. If an event happened on TV then it's canon. If an even happened in any other media (books, audio books, comics etc) then it's not canon unless I state otherwise. That might become useful in the next chapter..._


	11. Episode 3: The Truth Is Out There

_Episode 3 – The Truth Is Out There_

 _Chapter 1_

 **Previously** \- The one in the suit frowned, "You're The Doctor?" the Time Lady nodded slowly. The suited man, the Tenth Doctor, turned his head slightly to inspect his future incarnation, "Well, that's a little", he paused for moment before adding, "different". He continued to examine the current Doctor, almost disbelieving that she was telling the truth, "How far from my future are you?" he asked.

"I'm number twelve", The Doctor answered, "but you've still got a while to go until you're me".

Whilst this conversation had been taking place, the Eleventh Doctor merely stood there with a small smile on his face, "Everything worked out alright then".

"Yes Doctor it did", The Doctor smiled back, "mostly", she added with a slight grimace. She clapped her hands together, "Now then, shall we get on with saving Gallifrey", she added with a smile.

The Twelfth Doctor was a blur of motion inside her TARDIS, flicking switches and twisting dials on the console. The calculations to freeze Gallifrey might have been completed but they still needed to be interpreted correctly. One wrong input could have disastrous consequences for her home planet. The Time Lady knew this day would be coming eventually, there had been thirteen TARDIS's present during the mission after all. Her memories indicated that everything had been successful but she didn't want to get complacent. Time could be rewritten and the status of the timestreams around Gallifrey were perilous to say the least. If this went wrong then the entire outcome of the Time War could change.

The Time Lady spied Jenny out the corner of her eye, the red head was shuffling awkwardly around the console. The Doctor could feel the confusion coming off the younger Time Lady, like a lost lamb who couldn't find her mother. She felt bad for Jenny as this was supposed to be their time together, her chance to explain everything to the younger Time Lady. Instead it looked like The Doctor's secret would be dragged out of her before she could fill in the blanks for the young Time Lady. The raven haired stopped what she was doing and gripped the console a little tighter. Jenny didn't deserve that, she had been through enough in the last few hours. She was entitled to a proper explanation but the universe clearly had other ideas.

The awkward silence in the console was killing the older Time Lady, causing her to lose focus. Perhaps there was a way to alleviate that, "Care to help me Jenny", she called out.

"Really?" Jenny asked with a quiet tone. The Doctor wasn't sure if it was due to nervousness or hope, "I don't know what I'm doing".

"Then consider this your first TARDIS lesson", The Doctor smiled and gently pulled Jenny towards the console, "twist these knobs until the output read seventy two", she added, pointing at a couple of brass valves. Jenny nodded and did as she was instructed and carefully observed the gauges. The Doctor moved a little further down the panel and began moving some levers, "I'm sorry about this Jenny", she continued, "I wasn't aware this was going to happen yet".

"It's fine Doctor", Jenny sighed but The Doctor could tell that everything wasn't fine with her daughter. Her disappointment about being kept in the dark was growing and she wasn't hiding it well, "What are we doing here?" Jenny asked after a few moments.

"You know about the Time War right?" Jenny nodded in confirmation, "until my eleventh incarnation I believed that I was responsible for Gallifrey's destruction". She paused for a moment, those were a dark few centuries for her, the emptiness, the hopelessness biggest of all, the guilt that came with her decision. Looking back now she was amazed that she didn't crack under the strain. Maybe she did in her own way, the Time War had changed everything for her and the universe would never be bright again.

Pushing the dark thoughts aside, The Doctor continued, "There's a very real chance that I actually saved the planet by freezing it in a moment of time. The explosion everyone witnessed was the Daleks blowing themselves up". The Doctor stopped what she was doing and pulled a monitor around the console, "Here, perhaps a diagram will help explain things", she brought a military diagram of the current front lines in the constellation.

If there was one thing Jenny understood, it was military diagrams. The object in the centre must be Gallifrey and surrounding it were various dotted lines which represented the primary planet's defences. The Dalek ships had breached those lines and were encircling the planet. She didn't need to understand military tactics to know that the planet was doomed. In a few minutes it would be totally surrounded and subjected to heavy bombardment. It was then that she realised what The Doctor's plan was, if the planet was frozen in time then it would disappear. The Daleks would end up firing on themselves, "That's an outrageous plan", Jenny gasped in awe. It was certainly bold with a heavy dose of insanity, it summed up the older Time Lady perfectly.

"Thank you", The Doctor smiled, "the calculations took a while, almost my entire life". She smiled as memories of her early life came to mind, a carefree time when the only thing she had to worry about finding another planet to explore. She often wondered what her original self would think if he could see what had happened to him since. She would probably get the answer to that question imminently, "All of my past selves are out there somewhere, it will require that much power to put this plan into action", she added. She could sense them beginning to arrive, silently thankful that she wasn't the one to make that call. Ten, Eleven and the one she mentally labelled The War Doctor were taking care of that. Her job was to provide the finished calculation to the others.

"So they're all out there", Jenny closed her eyes and was alarmed to feel presences in her mind. They all felt like The Doctor, only much younger, "I can feel them in my head", the red headed gasped.

The Doctor slapped her hand against her forehead, "Stupid me, I forgot you wouldn't have had another Time Lord presence in your head before". She reached out to Jenny and gently touched her head. The younger Time Lady flinched slightly at the contact, unsure what The Doctor was about to do. The raven haired woman gave Jenny a warm and reassuring smile, "I'm just going to place some basic mental shields in place. It'll prevent you from getting overawed by the multiple voices inside your head".

Jenny nodded slowly and The Doctor placed her fingers against her temples. The younger Time Lady could feel a warming presence seeping into her brain. Just as quickly as it started, the sensation stopped and The Doctor gently released her grip. The voices had been quietened but Jenny still knew they were there, like a reassurance that she wasn't alone, "Thank you Doctor", Jenny gave her a weak smile.

"Don't mention it", The Doctor replied, "I look after my family". She leaned over and kissed Jenny on the forehead, "And you will get your explanation, straight from the horse's mouth". Jenny wasn't sure what The Doctor meant by that and she didn't get a chance to ask. The console pinged loudly and the Time Rotor flashed blue, "Ah looks like we're ready to go", The Doctor changed the image on the monitor, "Here you go Jenny, take a look at your ancestral home".

The image changed to show a planet with an orange sky and deep red grass. In the middle of the open space was a giant glass dome and inside was the biggest city Jenny had ever seen. The towers and spires seemed to stretch on forever with an architecture the young Jenny had never seen anywhere else before. Breath taking was the first word that came to mind, "It's beautiful", was the second. The beauty of the planet reduced Jenny to silence, even The Doctor lost herself in the moment, "It doesn't look like this now does it?" Jenny asked sadly.

"No", The Doctor replied with a gentle hush, "but this is how to choose to remember Gallifrey and if this goes according to plan then it'll look like this again someday". The Doctor left Jenny looking at some old images of Gallifrey and walk around to the communication monitor. She leaned over the console as her thoughts drifted back to the Time War. At least she tried to.

The Doctor hadn't told Jenny this but it wasn't just her memory of her daughter that was missing, large chunks of the Time War were also blank to her. She had vague memories, the empty feeling every time a fellow Time Lord went silent in her head, the aftermath of key battles and such but the rest was just a blank. At first she thought this was a symptom of regeneration and that the memories would come back after a few hours, however, everything was still a blur. It was like she had been given the abbreviated version of certain events, enough to get by but not enough to truly remember.

The Time Lady bit down hard on her lip in frustration, there was only one possible explanation for this and as if on cue, his face appeared on the monitor, "Did I catch you at a bad time?" the Eleventh Doctor asked quietly. The Doctor slowly looked up and glared at her predecessor. The Eleventh Doctor nervously adjusted his bow tie and seemed to take a visible step back which pleased the Time Lady immensely, "I'll take that as a yes", he muttered.

"Trust me Doctor you don't want to try my patience right now", The Doctor growled, "you've spoken with a grey haired woman recently haven't you?"

The Eleventh Doctor nodded slowly, "Yes I have", he said grimly, "nice hair by the way, much longer than I'm used to".

"Don't change the subject", the Time Lady snapped, "she slapped you that day and I'm not afraid to do the same". She looked away from the screen briefly, trying to reel in her rising temper.

"That really hurt by the way", Eleven unconsciously rubbed his jaw, "she was surprisingly strong, for a girl".

The Doctor ignored his attempted joke and slowly turned her head back towards the screen, "The matrix wasn't complete was it?" she asked. The moment the question left the Time Lady's lips, the Eleventh Doctor looked away sheepishly, "I expect to have the blanks filled in before you leave".

"I was just trying to protect you", Eleven said quietly, "the things that I've seen, you shouldn't have to relive that".

The Time Lady could sense the genuine remorse from the Eleventh Doctor, releasing some of her anger in the process. She let out a deep breath and glared at her predecessor, "I'm not a child that needs protecting", she began, "technically I'm older than you now". She shook her head and leaned closer to the screen, "I want what's rightfully mine", she added with a cold whisper.

Trying to take some control back, the Eleventh Doctor stood a little taller and glared back, "What if I refuse, get in my blue box and fly away".

"Jenny", was The Doctor's only response and this grabbed the younger Time Lady's attention. She had been trying to tune out the argument between the two Doctor's but now she had been dragging into the conversation, she couldn't help but listen. The older Time Lady held up her hand to stop Eleven from replying, "I found our daughter and she's here with me right now". The Eleventh Doctor looked shocked at this news, "Do you know how embarrassing it is, running into your own daughter only to tell her that you can't remember her?"

"I-I had no idea", Eleven stammered, "I thought she was dead".

Jenny's patience ran out, she was getting tired of feeling excluded from conversation. She stomped around the console and nudged The Doctor out the way, "Except I wasn't dead", she cried, "is that why you didn't come looking for me?"

"Jenny", Eleven gasped, "you've regenerated, I didn't think that you could?" The Eleventh Doctor grasped his floppy brown hair, his head was a whirlwind of emotions. He was happy that Jenny was alive but he had left Messaline without her, "I didn't know Jenny, if I had know", Jenny didn't want to listen to the response, instead she ran out of the console room with tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry Jenny".

"She's spent her entire life looking for us", The Doctor shook her head, "you could blame Ten for leaving too quickly but you never even went back to visit her grave". The Doctor wasn't angry with her predecessor anymore, instead she was extremely disappointed. She hoped that she wouldn't treat her former companions in this way in the future.

"I couldn't", Eleven said with a hollow voice, "I just couldn't".

The Time Rotor flared into life and the TARDIS began to move. The Doctor sighed, glancing at the floor in the process, "This conversation isn't over Doctor", she whispered and turned off the monitor without waiting for a response. She moved around the flight control and prepared to move her TARDIS into position. The Doctor needed to focus for the next part of her mission, forcing her to push her anger and disappointment aside for the next few minutes. Gallifrey wouldn't be lost just because of an argument with her past self, she wouldn't add the destruction of Gallifrey back onto her list of failures. That would have to drive her forward for the foreseeable future.

 _ **A/N -** Episode three starts off with a bang as the two Time Lady's are thrust straight into the action. Eleven and Twelve really aren't going to get along, little bit of forewarning about that. Next chapter the truth about the Twelfth Doctor's regeneration comes out...it's a controversial idea that I had so not sure if it will be universally popular. Guess we'll see..._


	12. 3: High Noon

_Chapter 2 – High Noon_

 _Previously - The Time Rotor flared into life and the TARDIS began to move. The Doctor sighed, glancing at the floor in the process, "This conversation isn't over Doctor", she whispered and turned off the monitor without waiting for a response. She moved around the flight control and prepared to move her TARDIS into position. The Doctor needed to focus for the next part of her mission, forcing her to push her anger and disappointment aside for the next few minutes. Gallifrey wouldn't be lost just because of an argument with her past self, she wouldn't add the destruction of Gallifrey back onto her list of failures. That would have to drive her forward for the foreseeable future._

The Doctor angrily turned off the monitor and took a few paces away from the console. She stared into the distance and clenched her fists into a tight ball. The conversation with her previous self had infuriated the Time Lady. She had rocky relationships with some of her previous incarnations but the Eleventh Doctor was the total opposite of the person she was trying to be. He was a man who hid from his emotional problems rather than confronting them. He was an overgrown child in an adult's body. The Twelfth Doctor might occasionally act whimsically, however, she was over two thousand years old and it was time to start acting like it and take some responsibility for her actions.

She wasn't the only one who was struggling, The Doctor could feel the confusion and anger emanating from Jenny. The older Time Lady didn't need to turn around to know this and she was angry on Jenny behalf as well. The red head practically lived to see The Doctor again, only to find out that she had been forgotten about. One simple trip back to Messaline would've alerted either of her two predecessors to Jenny's fate.

The Doctor was pulled slightly from her thoughts by a gentle touch on her shoulder. She turned her head slightly but all she could see was the vibrant red hair of Jenny. The younger Time Lady was standing close to The Doctor but still with enough distance for the gesture not to be classed as a hug. It was the gesture of someone who had been hurt in the past and was too afraid to trust again, "It's alright Doctor", Jenny said softly, "I know exactly how you're feeling". The Doctor lowered her head slightly and smiled to herself, it had been a long time since she was a parent but she had bonded very quickly with Jenny, even if it was a little one way at the moment.

The sound of the cloister bell quickly grabbed their attention, jolting the Time Ladies back to the present. The TARDIS was emitting a low rumbling sound from an external vibration, like they were flying into turbulence. Jenny took a couple of paces back, confused by what was going on. The Doctor though knew exact what was happening, "We're approaching Gallifrey but so are my past selves", she stated, "the timestream is struggling to cope with the paradox". She spun around and placed her hands firmly on Jenny's upper arms, "I need to navigate us through the paradoxes, that's means you have to fly the TARDIS".

Jenny's mouth flapped open a couple of times, "But I've never flown this before", she stammered out.

"Not the TARDIS but you've flown plenty of other spaceships, right?" Jenny nodded slowly, "this isn't much different except that the fate of Gallifrey and possibly the universe rests on us getting through safely".

"No pressure then", Jenny mumbled to herself.

"I believe in you Iníon", The Doctor smiled warmly, "that means daughter in High Gallifreyan by the way". She gently kissed Jenny on the forehead in an attempt to soothe the red head nerves, "You're about to go down in history Jenny, the two of us and all of my past incarnations are going to rewrite history". The young Time Lady smiled back but the pair were thrown about by some rough turbulence, "They'll be plenty of time for the mushy stuff later", The Doctor quickly turned back to the console and grabbed hold of some of the pipes that were hanging down near the rotor, "Quickly Jenny, man that console", The Doctor added and pointed to the primary pilots position.

Jenny took a deep breath and gingerly grasped a pair of levers that were sticking out of the console. Despite only stepping foot into the TARDIS today, subconsciously she had a basic understanding of what some of the switches did. She pushed up on the left hand control lever, keeping half an eye on The Doctor. The older Time Lady was twisting frantically on the pipes, getting a shower of steam in the process. "I'm flooding the primary dampers", The Doctor called out, "this should sustain the paradox long enough to get into orbit". Jenny nodded, instinctively throwing the right hand lever all the way forward on the console. The ride was still a little bumpy but at least the annoying cloister bell had been silenced by their actions.

The tense silence in the TARDIS was broken by the loud sound of static. The two Time Ladies froze, their experiences with the Time Shadows still fresh in their memories. Fortunately for the pair, the sound was just the radio crackling into life, _"We'd be lost in another universe, Frozen in a single moment of time",_ a deep male voice boomed from the radio.

"What's happening Doctor?" Jenny asked.

The older Time Lady recognised the voice, it belonged to another Time Lord known as The General, one of the men responsible for the defence of Gallifrey. All of The General's previous incarnations had been female and the Time Lord in question was most disgruntled when he regenerated into a man. The Doctor had been there that day, The General saved his life by stepping in the way of an improvised Dalek explosive device. The General had a wise head on his shoulders, unlike Rasillion. If the founder of Time Lord society had been in the war room then The Doctor would've been in big trouble, "We've tapped into the communication channel", the older Time Lady replied, "we must be getting close".

" _You would have hope",_ The Doctor recognised the voice of the Eleventh Doctor, " _and right now that is exactly what you don't have"._

" _It's delusional",_ The General replied, " _the calculations alone would take hundreds of years"._

" _Oh, hundreds and hundreds",_ the Eleventh Doctor stated with a cheery voice.

" _But don't worry, I started a very long time ago",_ Jenny recognised that voice, it belonged to the Tenth Doctor.

The turbulence began to increase and on the monitors, The Doctor noticed several TARDIS's emerge from the Time Vortex, _"Calling the War Council of Gallifrey, this is The Doctor"._ The older Time Lady smiled at the sound of that voice, it belonged to someone she hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Is that one of your past selves?" Jenny stated, slowly pulling back on the control lever.

"My original self", The Doctor smiled with nostalgia, "it's been a very long time since I've been that man".

Jenny opened her mouth to ask a question but she was interrupted by the Eleventh Doctor from the radio, " _You might say I've been doing this all my lives"._

"Always so dramatic", The Doctor groaned, drawing a chuckle from Jenny, "if I ever talk like that then you've got my permission to slap me". More TARDIS's began to appear in Gallifrey's orbit, flying down low in the atmosphere of the planet. The current version of the TARDIS wasn't that far behind, maybe a few more seconds until it made her own arrival. The radio continued to crackle with declarations from all of the past versions of The Doctor. The current Doctor had to smile, it was extremely rare for past regenerations to meet each other but here they all were and all united with a common goal. She could feel the pride building deep in her chest, for the first time since her own regeneration she finally felt part of the great legacy of The Doctor.

She shook her head gently, bringing herself back to the present situation, "Pull back on the brakes Jenny", she ordered, "we're here".

Jenny did as she was instructed, breaking the TARDIS free of the Time Vortex. The TARDIS was spat out into the middle of a hail of laser fire from several Dalek battleships. Jenny slammed the levers all the way forward, throwing the pair against the console but out the way of the laser fire. A small part of The Doctor wanted to take over the controls herself but she quickly changed her mind when she saw the look of concentration on Jenny's face. The red head was in her element, using her natural instincts to effectively pick a path through the laser fire. Instead The Doctor busied herself with cranking the shields up to maximum by quickly turning a large brass valve on the side of the console. _"I didn't know when I was so well off, all twelve of them",_ The General's voice came out of the radio again.

There was a short pause before another voice added, _"No Sir, all thirteen of them"._

The Doctor smiled to herself, as far as the Council of Gallifrey were aware she was the thirteenth and final incarnation of The Doctor. They didn't know about her rebirth and she was determined to keep it that way, " _Ah hello, nice of you to join us",_ the Eleventh Doctor called out from the radio.

"Well you know, traffic was a nightmare", The Doctor commented dryly, "hello previous versions of me, good to see you all made it".

" _Oi, who let the assistant fly the TARDIS",_ the indignant and distinctive voice of the Ninth Doctor replied.

"Oi yourself matey", The Doctor replied, "just because you sound Northern doesn't give you the right to insult your future self".

There was a brief pause and The Doctor could almost feel her past incarnations thinking about the possibility of becoming a woman, _"You're me"_ , the hesitant sounding voice of the Fifth Doctor asked, _"but you're a woman"._

The Doctor had to roll her eyes at that comment, "Really, what gave me away", she snorted, "little tip for the future, learn how to put on a bra. Trust me those things are trickier to master than quantum engineering".

" _This is no time for flippancy young lady",_ the stern voice of the First Doctor called out. The Doctor lowered her head, feeling like a scolded child, " _There will be plenty of time to discuss this matter later, assuming you don't have to run off, hmm"._

"No Sir", The Doctor smiled broadly and shuffled around to the other side of the console, accidently bumping into Jenny in the process. "I'm transmitting the completed calculation to all of your TARDIS's", she said and pulled back firmly on a lever. Once she was happy that the code had been transmitted, she gently wrapped her hand around another lever and took a deep breath. This was the moment she had been anticipating for a very long time. She lowered her head slightly and absorbed the gravity of the situation. With one pull of this lever Gallifrey would be frozen in time, assuming the calculations were correct.

Moments later The Doctor felt a warm hand on top of hers as Jenny too grasped the lever, "You didn't think you would have to do this alone", the red head smiled.

"Spoken like a true daughter of mine", the older Time Lady smiled, bursting with motherly pride in the process.

" _Do it Doctor",_ she heard The General call out from the radio. She didn't need a second invitation and the mother and daughter pair quickly pulled back on the lever. The lights slowly dimmed inside the TARDIS as all power was diverted to the compression device. The Doctor quickly glanced at the monitor, the planet was slowly moving into a pocket dimension.

Suddenly something dawned on The Doctor and she quickly ran over to the pilots controls, "Calling all Doctor's, prepare for emergency transit the moment the planet had gone", she said loudly and gripped the handbrake.

" _Whatever for my dear"¸_ the booming voice of the Fourth Doctor asked.

"We're in the lower atmosphere of the planet", The Doctor replied, "directly in the firing line of the Daleks and their soon to be destroyed ships. Unless we want to join them in a fiery death, I recommend that we reconvene at a safer location".

The Doctor busiest herself with finding somewhere safe for them to meet as the other Doctor's debated her suggestion, "I didn't think of that", the Tenth Doctor stated dryly.

"Which is exactly why you need a woman's touch", The Doctor chuckled, "much more common sense you see". She pushed a button on the console, "Transmitting you some co-ordinates, this location should be stable enough for a few minutes". She didn't wait for a response as the moment of Gallifrey's transportation was upon them. The second the planet disappeared, the Time Lady threw the switch which moved her TARDIS safely away from the massive explosion emanating from the Dalek fleet.

The TARDIS was deathly silence for a few moments as The Doctor and Jenny slowly regained their composure, "Did we do it?" Jenny asked with a quiet voice. The Doctor contemplated her question for a couple of moments. Truthfully she wasn't one hundred percent sure that it had worked and she probably never would be. Her predecessor was correct though, at least they had a small amount of hope that Gallifrey was out there somewhere.

The Time Rotor flared suddenly, the TARDIS was unhappy about something, "It's alright girl, they won't be hanging around for too long". Jenny raised a quizzical eyebrow in the older Time Lady's direction, "She's not too happy that all of my previous regenerations are outside, the potential for a universe ending paradox is off the scale". She took a deep breath and slowly moved towards the door, "Wait here for a few minutes Jenny, I want to have a few words with them first", she pointed at the monitor, "keep watching though, you're about to get your answers".

Slowly The Doctor made her way across the metal walkway, her boots echoing with every step. She grabbed hold of the door handle and took a moment to compose herself. The Doctor's waiting outside the door would know exactly how she extended her life past the usual regeneration limit and that was a little frightening. What if they rejected her, would that really matter? After all they were her past incarnations and she was the future.

Summoning up all of her courage, she pulled the door open and twelve pairs of eyes immediately shot in her direction. Each of them scrutinized her in their own way, some were amused by this future development, others not so. "Good to see you all again gentlemen", The Doctor greeted warmly, "we should be safe on this moon for around ten minutes".

The Second Doctor was the first to approach The Doctor, slowly circling her with a curious eye, "Well, this certainly is different", he began, "at least I've retained my sense of fashion", he added, gently stroking her velvet coat.

"Ah but the difference is that my clothes actually fit me", The Doctor replied with a cheeky smile, "and I've ditched the bow tie", this comment drew a cry of indignation from the Eleventh Doctor.

"This is highly irregular", the Eighth Doctor added, "I've heard of incidents of gender swapping in other Time Lords but I never thought I would undergo it myself".

"There's something she isn't tell us though", the Sixth Doctor stated with the usual arrogance in his voice, "she feels like me but there's something else here as well but I can't put my finger on it".

"Not as sharp as you think", The Doctor snapped, a little hurt that the other Doctor's were taking so long to put the pieces together.

"He's right", the Ninth Doctor added, his arms crossed defensively in front of his body, "why don't you tell us who you really are".

"Oh she's us my boy", the First Doctor stepped stiffly into the fray, "and I'm disappointed in myself that I haven't identified what's occurred here". The First Doctor gave The Doctor a warm smile, "I assume you have an interesting story to tell".

"Isn't it always", The Doctor smiled, "I knew you wouldn't let me down", she took a couple of big strides and wrapped her arms around the old looking man.

The First Doctor gently returned the display of affection, "Hello Doctor, now perhaps you can explain to us why you have a piece of our granddaughter in your head".

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	13. 3: My Own Worst Critic

_Chapter 3 – My Own Worst Critic_

 _ **Previously**_ _-"He's right", the Ninth Doctor added, his arms crossed defensively in front of his body, "why don't you tell us who you really are"._

" _Oh she's us my boy", the First Doctor stepped stiffly into the fray, "and I'm disappointed in myself that I haven't identified what's occurred here". The First Doctor gave The Doctor a warm smile, "I assume you have an interesting story to tell"._

" _Isn't it always", The Doctor smiled, "I knew you wouldn't let me down", she took a couple of big strides and wrapped her arms around the old looking man._

 _The First Doctor gently returned the display of affection, "Hello Doctor, now perhaps you can explain to us why you have a piece of our granddaughter in your head"._

The asteroid in the Kasterborous system was deathly silent. A faint mist rolled across the cold rocky ground, lapping at the feet of the twelve men and the sole woman that stood on its surface. In the distance, a dim glow marked the spot where the Dalek Empire had been destroyed in a hail of friendly fire. That wasn't the primary concern of the thirteen individuals standing in the centre of a ring of blue boxes. The First Doctor slowly released the oldest version of himself, a person who he had stated contained a portion of his granddaughter. The remaining Doctor's glanced nervously at each other, all of them confused with the development.

The oldest looking Doctor brushed his hand gently against The Doctor's face, "I assume you have an interesting explanation for this, hmm", he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Is there any other type", The Doctor smiled in return, "but please, try to keep an open mind", she added, attempting to stand a little taller.

"Yes perhaps you'll enlighten us about how this happened", the Eighth Doctor stepped forward, adjusting his Victorian style coat, "the last time I saw Susan was on Earth in the twenty third century".

The Doctor snorted with a bitter tone and shook her head, her long black hair pooling across her face. It was a day that she two different sets of memories for, one from her own point of view and the other from Susan's perspective. That day was one of the final times her granddaughter had gone by her married name Susan Campbell. It was one of the worst days of her life, the day everything had come to a crashing halt for Susan. "And who's fault is that", she spat, "you left Susan in her darkest hour and never looked back". She sniffed and wiped the corner of her eye, she hadn't explored the memories of Susan Campbell before today. Now they were rushing to the foreground like a horrifying highlight reel.

"What happened to Alex", the Eighth Doctor replied softly, "it wasn't my fault".

"I don't blame you for that", The Doctor shook her head, clearing some of the hair from her face, "but I can't forgive you for abandoning her to deal with his death alone". She turned her back on the gathered field of Doctor's and gazed up at the dark sky, memories of her granddaughter's life continued to rush over her. She was born on Gallifrey as Arkytior, the only granddaughter of the man known as The Doctor. She dropped out of the academy and ran away with her grandfather in a battered Type 40 TARDIS, eventually finding her way to Earth during the 1960's.

Adopting the name Susan Foreman, she had enrolled at Coal Hill School hoping to learn from the locals. Outwardly Susan appeared to be in her mid to late teens but in reality she was a few decades older. One night two of her teachers, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, had stumbled across the TARDIS in a scrapyard in North London. The First Doctor accidentally kidnapped the pair and the quartet travelled across time and space together in an attempt to get them home.

Things were good between the group until they landed on Earth in 2160 during the aftermath of a Dalek invasion. Susan met and fell in love with a freedom fighter but the name of David Campbell. Realising that Susan would never have a proper life wondering the universe with him, he deliberately locked her out of the TARDIS and left her to forge a life with David. "I couldn't stay", the Ninth Doctor began in an unusually soft tone, "I assume I'm not so old now that I've forgotten the reasons for my decision".

"Our personal crusade against the Daleks", The Doctor replied with a hollow voice, "apparently that was more important to us at the time than our family".

"Sometimes you have to make personal sacrifices for the good of the universe", the War Doctor stated, his gravelly voice adding to the gravity of his words. "The Daleks killed many people's children, the death of our great-grandchild drove me to finally enter the Time War", he added.

The Doctor snorted but didn't turn around to face the others, "Susan had David", the Tenth Doctor whispered, "she didn't need her old grandfather hanging around".

There was a few moments of silence and The Doctor's shoulders sagged, her head dropping low, "David's gone", she said with a quiet whisper. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, refusing to show weakness in front of her previous regenerations. "It wasn't long after Alex's death", she slowly turned around, "David had been sick for a while but Susan didn't think anything of it". She took a deep breath, trying to release the negative emotions that were swirling insider her, "Turns out that the weapons the Daleks used polluted the ground with toxic chemicals", she sniffed, "David spent so long working with the clean up that...".

Her voice trailed off and a couple of tears rolled down her face as the memories of Susan intertwined with her own. David had been the love of Susan Campbell's life, the person who she gave up everything to be with. The Doctor didn't know the man too well but Susan's strong feelings for the man were dominating her conscious mind. She was crying for the man like she was actually Susan instead of The Doctor.

The Time Lady continued to sniff away some tears until she felt a gentle but strong pair of hands on her shoulders, "It's alright dear, let it all out", the Third Doctor said.

"Thank you", The Doctor gave the white haired man a watery smile, "I'm not even sure why I'm crying, he wasn't my husband". This is what she loved about the early incarnations of The Doctor, they were kind men who had yet to be burdened with several centuries of guilt and pain. That wasn't to say that the later versions of her were cruel but they were more like hardened warriors. It took a lot to break through their defences and see the true person underneath.

"Perhaps we should move this conversation on now", the Fifth Doctor suggested, trying to escape the very atmosphere that was bearing down on the asteroid, "how did this situation even happen?" The Doctor nodded slowly, happy for the change in conversation. She was happy for the memories of Susan family to bury themselves again.

"I think I can help with that", the Eleventh Doctor stepped forward. For the first time that day The Doctor smiled in his direction, appreciating the attempt to divert some attention away from her. The bow tie sporting Doctor frowned slightly, the woman's mind was closed off him and he knew that some of his other incarnations were thinking the same thing. He filed that away for the moment, the answer to that little puzzle could reveal itself in due course. "I may call myself the Eleventh Doctor but this is my thirteenth and final regeneration", he glanced sideways at his immediate predecessor, "thanks to a certain someone".

The Tenth Doctor scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yeah sorry about that but I really didn't want to go".

"Anyway", Eleven continued, "I had a brush with death, permanent death that is and I didn't like it, everything felt up in the air", he waived his hands around frantically, "realising that I could die at any time drove me to reconnect with the only family I had left". The Doctor wanted to fire off a retort but for once, she chose to hold her tongue, "I found Susan in her second regeneration, took me a few attempts to find her mind you", he added with a smile.

"She didn't really want to be found, her memories tell me that she shielded herself mentally from all Time Lord contact", The Doctor shrugged. The post Time War Doctor's all raised their eyebrows, by shielding her presence, Susan had avoided contact with Gallifrey and thus the Time War. Unable to sense Susan, The Doctor's naturally assumed that she had perished in the Time War. "That version of Susan wasn't the friendliest", she aimed a small smirk at the Eleventh Doctor, "I think you found that out the hard way". The floppy haired man once again rubbed his jaw unconsciously.

"What happened to our dear sweet granddaughter", The First Doctor sighed with an air of disappointment, "the Susan I remember would never act that way".

The Doctor bit her lip, she could blame regeneration but that would be an easy excuse. The second incarnation of Susan had been a bitter and lonely woman after the deaths of her son and husband. Unlike the Ninth Doctor, who at least tried to move past his grief, the Second Susan chose to wallow in her own misery, "Awkward adolescent years", she attempted to joke. The response to her attempt at humour drew a series of glares from the gathered Doctor's, "Look I'm not going to make excuses for her, however, I know that some of you weren't exactly the friendliest of people". The men she was referring do knew exactly who she meant, the others merely smirked in agreement.

"Perhaps we can keep our minds focused on the matters in hand", the Eleventh Doctor interrupted, "we don't know how long we can remain in his place for".

"Agreed", The Doctor replied, "long story short this Doctor found Susan and after exchanging", she twirled her hand trying to think of the best word to use, "pleasantries, he told me about his predicament". She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, she knew that some of The Doctor's wouldn't like what she and Eleven were about to say, "Despite our differences Susan and I agreed that the universe needed The Doctor so we came up with solution that would see our legacy continue".

The Fourth Doctor took a couple of deliberate steps towards The Doctor and circled around her back, making the raven haired woman slightly uncomfortable. She could feel him trying to reach into her mind and reluctantly lowered her shields slightly. It didn't take long for the scarf wearing Doctor to know exactly what had happened, "You actually did it", he said with an even tone. The current Doctor wasn't sure if he was disappointed or proud in her and the Eleventh Doctor, "You created your own matrix graft", he added.

"A what?" the Second Doctor asked in confusion.

"It's an outlawed Time Lord technique", the Third Doctor replied, "one Time Lord can transfer their own mind matrix into another Time Lord. The receiving Time Lord gets mentally superseded by the other and the donating", he spat that word out with disgust, "Time Lord takes over their remaining regenerations". He glared at the current Doctor, "Something I believe our old friend The Master tried on a number of occasions".

"Not just The Master", The Sixth Doctor grasped the lapels of his brightly coloured jacket and stepped forward until he was practically in the face of the Eleventh Doctor, "so this is how it happens", he snorted, "this is how The Valeyard comes into existence".

"I am nothing like him", the Eleventh Doctor roared in response, jabbing his finger into the chest of his previous regeneration, "I made this decision for the benefit of the universe, not simply to continue my own existence".

"And I suppose the fact that Susan has ten more regenerations left didn't hurt", Six replied with an arrogant smirk, "yes that's exactly what I thought", he added when Eleven didn't respond straight away.

The Eleventh Doctor's mouth flapped open a few times, furious with his past incarnation, "That's not what happened, I have done everything in my power to prevent The Valeyard from coming into resistance".

"Clearly not hard enough", Six snorted.

The Doctor rolled her eyes and stepped closer to the Sixth and Eleventh Doctor. Quicker than a snake, she slapped both men on the back of the head. The pair rubbed the spot where they had been struck and glared at the Time Lady, "Sorry, I couldn't bear to hear the two of you arguing about this". She shook her head gently and continued, "The matrix graft was Susan's idea", she paused briefly before adding, "she offered to do this and my previous self did not influence Susan's decision in any way". What Susan had done effectively done was donate her remaining regenerations to The Doctor. If the Time Lord's were still around they wouldn't be happy, it went against the basic laws of their society. Some of the younger Doctor's still felt uncomfortable with the situation, "A part of Susan's matrix still lives inside me", she continued, "I still have her memories and she will continue to live on through me".

"But that's not right", the Tenth Doctor frowned, "if the graft was successful then you shouldn't have any recollection of your old self".

The pinstriped suited man pulled out his own sonic screwdriver and quickly scanned The Doctor. The raven haired woman frowned and retrieved her own sonic device, "Hey it's rude to scan a lady", she countered his scan, creating a shrieking feedback noise that stung the ears of everyone. "I'm aware of what should've happened and I will resolve this in my own time". She closed her eyes briefly, reaching out into the time vortex, "We don't have long left and I would like a quiet word with my immediate predecessor before he has to leave".

The doors to her TARDIS opened and Jenny nervously stepped outside, pulling her leather jacket tightly around her body, "Ah you got my message then", The Doctor smiled and stood next to the red head, "before you all leave I want you all to meet Jenny, our daughter".

The young Time Lady gave a nervous wave and most of The Doctor's looked on in bemusement. The only one not confused was the Tenth Doctor, who looked like he was close to fainting, "Hello again Dad", Jenny smiled, "it's been a while".

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _ **A/N –**_ _There you have it, one of the big secrets of the Twelfth Doctor is revealed. This chapter underwent a few rewrites until I was finally happy. A little more about the life and times of Susan Campbell (nee Foreman) will come out in the next few chapters and across the rest of the series._


	14. 3: Reunion

_Chapter 4 – Reunion_

 _Previously - She closed her eyes briefly, reaching out into the time vortex, "We don't have long left and I would like a quiet word with my immediate predecessor before he has to leave"._

 _The doors to her TARDIS opened and Jenny nervously stepped outside, pulling her leather jacket tightly around her body, "Ah you got my message then", The Doctor smiled and stood next to the red head, "before you all leave I want you all to meet Jenny, our daughter"._

 _The young Time Lady gave a nervous wave and most of The Doctor's looked on in bemusement. The only one not confused was the Tenth Doctor, who looked like he was close to fainting, "Hello again Dad", Jenny smiled, "it's been a while"._

The young red haired Time Lady walked slowly across the rocky surface, acutely aware that the eyes of all incarnations of The Doctor were focused solely on her. Her telepathic senses were still developing but even she could feel the confusion in their minds. Jenny tried her best to push their presences out of her mind, instead focusing on the Tenth Doctor, the one she identified as her father. He was staring at the woman with his arms wide open, struggling to find the right words to express his feelings.

Jenny paused in front of the man and gave him a hopeful smile. She had dreamed of this moment for decades but now it was here, she too was lost for words. The Tenth Doctor slowly and nervously brought his hand towards her face, worried that if he touched her that she would disappear. He finally summoned up all of his courage and gently placed his palm on his daughter's cheek, "Jenny", he whispered, "it's really you",

"Yeah Dad, it's me", Jenny sniffed and threw her arms around the Tenth Doctor. Tears of happiness fell from the young Time Lady's eyes, overcome with joy having achieved her dream. The other Doctor's watched the scene with a small smile, if still a little confused about who Jenny was.

The Twelfth Doctor took a couple of paces back from the rest of the group and glanced at the ground. If she was honest, the Time Lady was a little jealous of her predecessor. She had been the one to find Jenny, if accidentally, yet the younger Time Lady was a little cold towards her. Admittedly it had been an awkward initial meeting but the reaction she got was significantly different than the one she was giving the Tenth Doctor, "Green isn't a good colour on you", the Eleventh Doctor whispered from over her left shoulder, "it clashes with your jacket".

"Perhaps if you completed the matrix then I wouldn't have this problem", The Doctor snorted.

"I haven't even done that yet", Eleven replied, "you can't be angry for something I haven't done".

"Wibbly wobbly", The Doctor turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that how you would describe this situation". She gave an involuntary shudder after using that phrase, "Wibbly wobbly, please don't use it again it's unbecoming of us, try acting like a grown up".

"I can't believe it", Eleven shook his head in disappointment, "I've gotten old". The Twelfth Doctor shook her head but chose not to respond, instead she turned her attention back to Jenny.

The young Time Lady slowly released the Tenth Doctor and wiped her eyes. The brown haired man rubbed some of her tears away with his thumb, "You've regenerated, I didn't think you could do that", he stated with pride.

"Only recently", Jenny replied softly, "would've been nice if you told me that I could do that". She tried her best to keep the bitterness out of her voice but the memories of her loneliness during the last eighty seven years were too prominent in her mind.

"Jenny I am so sorry", the Tenth Doctor apologised, "after you died in my arms", he took a deep breath, the whistling of air over his teeth echoing across the asteroid, "I couldn't bear to go back", he added honestly. "For a few short hours I had hope again", he continued, "I wasn't the last of my kind and I had the chance to be a parent again". He paused and looked at the misty ground, "But that was cruelly taken away from me and it broke my hearts. It took all my self control not to seriously harm General Cobb and I feared that if I returned to Messaline.."

The young Time Lady gave the Tenth Doctor a watery smile as his voice trailed off. Jenny though knew what he was going to say, he didn't trust himself not to exact revenge on Cobb or the rest of the soldiers that had supposedly taken her life. For the first time she finally understood why her father hadn't returned to the planet of her birth. Their private moment was interrupted by the approaching Fifth Doctor. He inspected the young Time Lady whilst fiddling with the brim of his hat, "I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear your conversation", he began, "but why were you unsure if Jenny could regenerate?"

"Probably because I'm not a true Time Lord", Jenny said with a deep sigh.

"Come on Jenny that's not true", the Tenth Doctor snapped.

"Your words Dad", Jenny snorted and turned to the Fifth Doctor, "I was created using a propagation machine on the planet Messaline, cloned from his cells", she continued. "I had all the characteristics of a Time Lord but then I got shot saving his life", she pointed at the Tenth Doctor, "when I didn't regenerate straight away, everyone assumed I had died. But then I woke up on a cold table in the makeshift infirmary, stole a ship and set out to find my Dad".

"Interesting story", the Seventh Doctor stated, slowly circling the group, "tell me Jenny, how long had you been alive before you were shot".

"Just a few", Jenny replied, "ten, maybe twelve at the most".

"Ooh I'm so thick", the Tenth Doctor slapped his forehead, "thick thickity thick, how could I have forgotten?" Jenny frowned at the man in confusion, "If a Time Lord is injured during the first fifteen hours after regeneration, he or she can still heal their injuries without the need for a further regeneration".

"Right", Jenny drew out that word, "what's that got to do with me?"

"Simple my dear", Seven began, "what you experienced was a healing coma, a state that to the untrained eye looks like you've died but in actual fact, it was your body healing itself from a serious injury". The umbrella carrying Doctor looked at his future self with a hint of disgust, "I must be going senile if I forgot that".

"It was a busy day", the Tenth Doctor defended himself, "must've slipped my mind".

"It's alright Dad", Jenny sighed, "no one's perfect". Jenny had learned that the hard way, during the early years of her life, she believed that her father was perfect and could do no wrong. As time drifted by, some doubt began to her mind. She stopped idolising The Doctor, mentally knocking him off the pedestal she had mentally placed him on. Those had been the toughest years during her short life but she had gotten through it but trying to help others. That's what led her to Floyd Sector Gamma, the place where her first incarnation had died.

She shifted her focus onto the other two men in front of her. She knew about regeneration now but she still found it hard to believe that the short middle aged man and the youthful looking blonde were both younger versions of her father. She scrutinised the blonde Doctor a little closer, so much so that he began to feel a little uncomfortable, "Something on your mind?" he asked softly.

"Sorry", Jenny shook her head, "it's just I always wondered why I didn't look like my Dad but now I realise that I took after one of his previous faces". Jenny had pondered that one many times during her lifetime but after meeting the Fifth Doctor it became clear. Her first incarnation bore a striking resemblance to the man, if the two of them were in the same room you would believe they were father and daughter.

"You've got a bright future ahead of you Jenny", Seven began, "I trust that my future self will be an excellent parent and teacher". Jenny thought about that for a moment and briefly turned towards the woman in the purple jacket. "You don't believe she is the truly The Doctor do you?" Seven added.

The Scottish sounding Doctor had hit the nail on the head. The confession that The Doctor had absorbed memories and the remaining regenerations of her granddaughter was a little hard to accept. She understood that a Time Lord was the same person after regeneration but she wasn't convinced about this matrix graft the other Doctor's had referred. "Jenny there's one thing you need to understand about Time Lords", the Tenth Doctor began, "for us the mind is the most important part of who we are, not the physical body".

"We do go through thirteen bodies in our natural lifespan", the Fifth Doctor added.

"Exactly", Ten continued, "you could place my matrix inside a dog and that dog would still be The Doctor".

"Not a particularly pleasant image", Seven shuddered slightly at that thought.

"Yeah sorry that example got away from me", Ten apologised, "but the point I'm trying to make is that woman is just as much The Doctor as I am or any of us", he pointed towards Five and Seven. "And if she's taken anything from Susan then she will be a much better parent than I ever would've been". Jenny turned back around to face the Twelfth Doctor, who appeared to be having an animated conversation with the First and Eleventh Doctor's. There was certainly a bond between the pair and it was clear that The Doctor felt genuine affection towards her. Jenny still needed to be convinced though, she wasn't going to be call her Mum any time soon.

Over near the current TARDIS, the First Doctor had heard enough bickering from the two oldest Doctor's. These two had been sniping at each other for almost the entire duration of this gathering. The youngest Doctor was a little alarmed by the attitudes of the pair of them. The Eleventh Doctor acted like an overgrown child. The Twelfth Doctor was a little more mature but she still resorted to childish and thinly veiled insults. It was hard for him to believe that the current Doctor shared some of the mind matrix of his young granddaughter, their personalities were polar opposites of each other. "That's enough from the pair of you", he scolded them in his best fatherly voice.

"Sorry, The Doctor hung her head. The First Doctor smiled a little at that, maybe there was more of Susan inside this woman than he first thought, "We're just having a frank exchange of opinions, that's all".

"I hardly think that calling this young man a floppy haired, big chinned moron a productive use of language", the First Doctor said with a small smile.

"What if it's true?" The Doctor replied with a mischievous smirk but she soon removed that after a piercing glare from the silver haired Doctor.

"She's unhappy that the mind matrix created wasn't complete", Eleven added, "apparently there were some holes in my personal history".

"Basically he purged anything that made him sad", The Doctor shrugged.

"Cut that out", the First Doctor snapped at the oldest Doctor, "did you ever stop to consider that he did it for another reason". The raven haired woman tilted her head slightly and frowned, "if the matrix had been complete then perhaps Susan's memories would have been permanently deleted, hmm".

"Memories of David and her children", Eleven added softly, "Susan Campbell had her own pain, she didn't need mine on top of it".

The Doctor physically stumbled backwards, she had spent so much time being angry at her immediately predecessor that she never stopped to consider that he had good intentions at heart. A complete matrix would've seen all of Susan's memories expunged. All the happy times with her children and husband, gone forever. Maybe the Eleventh Doctor had done the right thing after all, "Can you at least give your memories of Jenny?" she asked softly. He nodded gently and placed his finger tips on her temples, immediately transferring his memories over to her, "Thank you", she whispered once the process was complete.

The First Doctor smiled and looked at his watch, "I do believe that our time is up", he announced. He pulled The Doctor into a tight hug, "Good luck Doctor, I know you'll do us proud", he muttered into her ear.

The Doctor nodded, "Thank you", she replied before turning to the Eleventh Doctor, "I owe you an apology", she added.

"I don't think that's necessary", he smiled and hugged her as well, "just promise me you'll look after Jenny".

"I will", The Doctor replied and watched the two men departed towards their respective TARDIS's. She watched as Jenny said a proper goodbye to the Tenth Doctor, waiving him off as his TARDIS groaned into life. She was happy that Jenny had gotten a few minutes with the man, even her unfounded jealousy of their closeness had abated.

Jenny slowly walked over to The Doctor and gave her a warm smile. She watched as the time capsules depart one after the other another, happy to finally closed the door on her bitterness towards the Tenth Doctor, "It's strange", she began, "I've spent so long hoping to run into him and just as long being disappointed that I hadn't". She the last of the TARDIS's a final wave goodbye, "Now I've met all of your past incarnations, I don't feel so alone anymore", she added.

Jenny was expecting to hear a response from The Doctor and was surprised that she hadn't. The young Time Lady turned around just in time to see the TARDIS door closing behind a retreating Doctor. At first Jenny thought it was something she said but then she realised something. That woman contained the matrix of Susan Campbell, The Doctor's granddaughter. Jenny felt a little guilty, she had been so wrapped up in her own feelings that she had forgotten about The Doctor's. She wanted to make things better but right now, she had absolutely no idea how to do that.

 _ **A/N -** There's a lot of anger and self loathing that the current Doctor and it stems from the very process that was used to bring her into existence. In my mind the mixture of Doctor/Susan is about 95 percent in favour of the older Time Lord. Not much but enough to make a difference. Next time we see the end of Susan and the birth of the Twelfth Doctor. _


	15. 3: Days Of Future Past

_Chapter 5 –Days Of Future Past  
_

She knew it was a cowardly thing to do, running away from her final farewell with the previous Doctor's but she couldn't face any of them right now. The Doctor practically jogged up the TARDIS walkway, brushing past the console in the process and into the living quarters of the ship. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions dredged up by interacting with her past regenerations but they had also woken up memories that she had tried to bury. The two lives of Susan, a young wide eyed Time Lady who had aimed for the stars only to come crashing back down with a vicious thud, were now bubbling close to the surface. It wouldn't do the universe any good having dwelling on those memories. She needed to find some sanctuary and quickly.

The Doctor was aiming for the library or even the zero room but every turn she took brought her back to the same door, "You just don't know when to quit", she grumbled, venting her emotions in the direction of the sentient time capsule. The TARDIS wanted her to enter Susan's old room and the stroppy ship was making it very clear that she wasn't going to be going anywhere else.

Pushing the door open with a heavy sigh, The Doctor took in the neutrally coloured space once again. The wall reminded her so much of the original TARDIS desktop theme, the stark white wall with the circular roundels. Everything else was utilitarian, from the metal desk and chair right up to the plain white sheet on the bed. The Doctor once again looked at the half finished work on the desk, like she had done before her visit to the twenty second century, only this time with Susan's memories. She remembered working on this as the TARDIS arrived on Earth in 2160 with the original Doctor. At the same time she could also recall the First Doctor's memories of watching his granddaughter working on the engineering problems. Watching the same event through two different sets of eyes, no wonder she had a splitting headache.

That was the day both The Doctor's and Susan's lives changed forever, it was the day the young Time Lady fell in love and the day that she had been left behind. Young Susan Foreman, as she was known then, would never get to show her grandfather what she had been working on. In fact it would be nearly thirty years before she even saw him again.

The Time Lady shook her head and roughly threw the notebook back on the desk. She flopped down on to the bed and placed her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes and slipped into a gentle meditative state, trying to shake of the memories of Susan but try as she might, they weren't going away in a hurry.

 _Satellite 15, Low Earth Orbit, Year 2336_

 _The attendants of the orbiting entertainment complex Satellite 15 were afraid. They had received a room service order from the occupant of room 2-12. Normally delivering room service orders wasn't a problem but the resident of that room genuinely terrified them. She had taken up residence in her room years ago, in fact some of the more junior staff members joked that she was actually a ghost haunting the satellite. No one even knew her name and she was very rarely seen outside her room but everyone knew about the resident of room 2-12._

 _In the end the job of delivering the order feel the newest member of staff, a teenage male by the name of Seth Bayley. Like most youngsters from the surface, Seth had taken a job on Satellite 15 to escape the miserable conditions down on Earth. The planet had been invaded twice by the Daleks, once in 2160 and again in 2199. Both times the invading fleet had been repelled by the military but at a terrible cost to the environment and the population. Most Earthicans had fled to one of the many space colonies or floating satellites like this one. The sick and the poor had stayed behind and they were suffering greatly for something that wasn't their fault. Over one hundred years had passed since the last Dalek invasion but the planet still wasn't financially stable enough to rebuild and decontaminate._

 _The tray in Seth's hand shook slightly as he softly knocked the door to room 2-12. He couldn't hear movement from the other side and he wondered if the occupant had heard him. He was about to knock again when the door suddenly and violently flew open. His arm was still in mid air as he gazed upon the feared occupant of room 2-12. She was tall, almost the same size as him, with closely cropped grey hair and a piercing pair of green eyes. She looked down at the young boy, her face completely blank. The woman looked at the trembling tray in his hand and snatched it away before it fell to the ground. She gave him one final look before slamming the door in his face. Seth stumbled backwards, eventually landing hard on his backside. He half crawled, half scrambled away from the hallway before the occupant opened the door again._

 _Inside room 2-12, Susan Campbell looked through the spyhole in the door and chuckled at the reaction of the young man. Terrorising the staff of the satellite was one of the few pleasures she had left. She was the first occupant of Satellite 15 nearly sixty years ago and back then , she was a really angry person and genuinely enjoyed the fearful looks in their eyes when she approached. It was mostly an act now, purely to keep up appearances, her anger had long since passed. Now she was just a bitter two hundred and thirty year old Time Lady stuck in the body of a fifty year old woman._

 _She dropped the tray on to the floor, not even caring that the contents had spilt. She wasn't even hungry, just a little bored and in need of some kind of face to face contact. Susan leaned on the metal railing that ran across her window and looked down at the Earth below. "This is what I've been reduced to", she muttered to herself, "scaring young people just to have some kind of human interaction"._

 _Susan Campbell had everything she ever wanted by the year 2199. She had a loving husband and four grown up children, she even had a grandchild of her own. Then the Daleks came back, bringing a small part of the Last Great Time War with them. Her grandfather, now in his Eighth body, returned too, despite his desire to stay out of the war. Susan was aware of the Time War, she felt the horror, pain and suffering through their telepathic bond that all Time Lord's shared. One day the pain became too much and she had cut herself off from the mental link, severing her connection to Gallifrey. She hoped that this would protect her from the war but sadly, she was mistaken._

 _The Daleks returned in numbers and reoccupied the planet. Susan, The Doctor and the rest of the Campbell family fought back but it came at a terrible cost. Her youngest son Alex, barely twenty years old, sacrificed himself to destroy the Dalek control ship. After this everything crumbled into dust for the Time Lady. Firstly her grandfather left again, this time without even saying goodbye. Then David fell ill, the loss of Alex and the second war with the Daleks was too much for him and he passed away just six months later._

 _For a while, Susan was stricken by grief even going as far as locking herself in her bedroom just to be close to David. Many times she thought about taking the fight to the last few pockets of Dalek resistance but she didn't think of herself as a fighter. A very capable and intelligent Time Lady yes but she was no warrior._

 _Eventually she decided to act, sneaking into a Dalek camp on the outskirts of London. Unfortunately her assessment of herself was correct, she wasn't a fighter and the Daleks inflicted fateful injuries on her. As she lay dying, Susan wished to join David and Alex in death but her biology had other ideas. The regeneration process began, terrifying the Daleks who were in the vicinity. Like everyone else on Earth, including her own family, they believed she was a human._

 _Regeneration complete, the Second Susan extracted her revenge on the Dalek, almost singlehandedly wiping them out. What came next was the hardest part for Susan, she now had the body and mind of a warrior but the war was over. What does a soldier do when there's no war left to fight? Susan decided against returning home, her remaining children thought she was dead and decided they would be better off not knowing this new incarnation of their mother. She wondered the planet for a while trying to help other like her grandfather had done but no one wanted or appreciated her effort. Tired of fighting and so very alone, she retreated to satellite 15 hoping to see out her days in isolation._

 _Everything changed though about six months ago. She had been lying in bed when she heard a noise that she hadn't encountered in a long time, the TARDIS. Jumped out of bed, she found the time capsule down the corridor from her room. She expected the Victorian gentleman with the curly hair to pop out but instead, she came face to face with a young man in a tweed suit and a bowtie. Susan knew instantly that it was her grandfather, she always did no matter what face he wore. He greeted her like nothing had happened, like her son's sacrifice meant nothing. In a fit of anger she slapped the man, so hard that he tumbled to the ground._

 _As she stood over her grandfather, she could feel the remorse rolling off him. He didn't even speak for a couple of minutes, he just crouched on the ground like a wounded animal. Susan eventually took pity on him and helped him back to his feet. Neither of them apologised, they didn't need to, instead they greeted each other like any grandfather and granddaughter would, with a strong hug. The pair returned to Susan's room and The Doctor explained his situation. He had used all of his regenerations and the next time he died, it would be for good. This was his final farewell tour, just in case he didn't get another chance._

 _Susan listened to him and wanted nothing more than to help him. Before she could stop herself, she offered to take his place, be The Doctor in his stead. Her grandfather immediately rejected the idea but Susan had talked him around. She had nothing to live for here anymore and despite her gruff exterior, she still wanted to do some good in the universe. She also hit on the idea of the mind graft because it wouldn't be enough to just have The Doctor's memories, she needed to actually 'be The Doctor'. The Eleventh Doctor was naturally hesitant, reminding her that a procedure like this would effectively kill Susan Campbell. She had accepted this without question, to her Susan had been dead since she had regenerated. The mind graft would just make everything a little more official._

 _Her grandfather had departed again, wanting some time to think about her offer. Susan used the time to mentally prepare, this body was getting a little worn down but there was still some life left. Her grandfather's original body had been much older when he left Gallifrey than she was now after all. Susan barely left her room during that time, instead she used all of her free time mentally organising her thoughts. She also created a personal memory bank for herself where everything relating to her children would be kept for future reference. Her personal recollection of them would go but at least their memory would live on._

 _Susan was brought back to the present by the sound of the TARDIS materialising in her room. She took a deep breath and slowly turned around, even though she knew this moment was coming, she still didn't want to accept that her grandfather was gone. The doors opened and she tentatively stepped inside, "He's redecorated", she muttered, taking in the deep blue walls and neon coloured roundels, "I don't like it", she added._

" _Then it's a good thing this is all yours", the Eleventh Doctor's voice called out as an image of the man appeared in the console room, "I really hope you commented on the TARDIS desktop first, if not then my dramatic entrance was totally wasted"._

" _Kept your sense of humour until the last", Susan commented and slowly approached a metal chair imbedded into the floor of the TARDIS. Coming off the top of the chair was a metallic crown that would be lowered onto her head, "Well this is it, goodbye Susan Campbell", she added with a small snort._

" _You can still say no", the Eleventh Doctor's image stated, "this TARDIS is yours regardless of your decision". Susan didn't turn around to face the holographic image, instead she ran her hands gently over the metal throne, "You could quietly retire to a remote part of the universe", he added, "maybe take up gardening or knitting"._

 _Susan snorted loudly, "I'm your granddaughter", her husky voice growled out, "we both know that's never going to happen". She sat down in the chair and secured the metal crown to her head, "Let's get this over with before I change my mind". She took a deep breath and waited for the machine to activate, images of her children and grandchild flashed across her mind. She was doing this for them, to protect them from the evils of the universe. They believed their mother had died saving London from the Daleks and now they would never know anything different._

 _The machine slowly powered up and the image of the Eleventh Doctor nodded sadly, "Goodbye Susan, I hope you'll forgive me". Before Susan could contemplate those words, she felt an excruciating pain ripping through her head. She attempted to cry out but no sound came out of her mouth. The mind graft was ripping apart the matrix belonging to Susan and replacing it with The Doctor's. Every memory, skill, talent and piece of knowledge he had acquired would shortly be hers._

 _The process increased its intensity, putting strain on the TARDIS's systems. The console sparked and several panels exploded, showering the Time Lady with sparks. Pieces of the floor collapsed under pressure and smoke billowed out from the missing sections. Light bulbs began to pop loudly but even this sound was drowned out by the whirring noise coming from the mind graft machine. Finally all the lights went out in the TARDIS, the machine stopped and the Time Lady fell out of the chair, landing on the floor with a loud thud._

 _For a few seconds she barely moved until a faint twitching could be felt in her fingers. Gritting her teeth to stave off the pain in her head, the Time Lady slowly grasped the console and hauled herself to her feet, "That was unpleasant", she grumbled but it had worked, The Doctor's matrix was now inside her head. She suddenly cried out in pain and doubled over the console, grasping her head in the process. She could see spots forming in front of her eyes and closed them tightly, waiting for the pain to pass._

 _Her headache began to subside and she slowly opened her eyes but the first thing she noticed was her hands, "Oh that's typical", she turned her hands over and examined the pale golden energy that was forming around her fingertips. "It's makes sense, I just wish I could've been The Doctor in his body". The energy continued to build until it burst out of her hands and head, enveloping her in a bright golden light._

 _She could feel every cell in her body being overwritten, a new body for the new Doctor. It was a painful process but after undergoing a mind graft, regeneration was a piece of cake. The energy suddenly subsided and the Twelfth Doctor took her first tentative breaths, "Nice hair", she commented as her hand became entangled in her new raven black locks, "Much posher sounding than before too", she added with excitement._

 _The Doctor found the brightest spot in the TARDIS and grabbed a shiny piece of metal, "Could be worse, much younger looking than before", she chuckled, "Oh if my kids could see their mother". She suddenly stopped, she shouldn't be able to remember her past as Susan Campbell. She definitely had The Doctor's matrix but with a little bit extra added on, "What did you do bow tie man", she grumbled._

Back in the present day, Jenny had finally located The Doctor inside the TARDIS. She was twitching in her sleep, possibly dreaming. She thought about waking her up but decided to leave her alone for a few hours. Instead she shuffled back towards the console room and thought about everything that had happened in the last few hours. The Doctor had another family out there, one that wasn't aware that she was still alive.

At first Jenny had been furious with The Doctor, the older Time Lady had been so indignant with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor's for their abandonment of Jenny but that now felt highly hypocritical. Then she remembered what the Tenth Doctor had said about returning to Messaline. It was highly likely that the current Doctor felt the same way too but was too afraid to admit it. As Jenny strolled around the console she thought about possible ways of helping The Doctor. Then it hit her, she was inside a TARDIS which could go anywhere in time and space.

She looked down at the controls, the scanner in particular, only to realise that she had no idea how to work it. The flight controls had been instinctive but this was much different, "Alright TARDIS, you're going to have to help me here", she called out to the ship, "give me everything you've got on Susan Campbell, home era Earth, twenty second century".

The scanned buzzed into life and gave the young Time Lady a comprehensive readout of information. Unsurprisingly there was no record of Susan Campbell prior to 2160 but there was after this date, "Date of death listed as 2200, no body found to bury", Jenny read out sadly, "husband David Campbell also deceased, four children listed Barbara, Ian, David Junior and Alexander". Jenny smiled slightly, she had more brothers and a sister out there. She then read that Alex was dead, killed the year before Susan supposedly was, "Probably why she doesn't want to go back", the young Time Lady muttered.

She knew what she wanted to do next but she hesitated slightly, would The Doctor appreciate her meddling in her personal life. Visiting her children could stir up some painful memories but it could also offer her the closure she desperately needed. "Right then TARDIS, we've got some family to visit. Set course for Earth in the year 2203". Jenny grabbed the handbrake and flipped it off, setting the time capsule into flight. The Doctor might not thank her for this but Jenny didn't care. She had more family out to visit and the means to do it. After all, the universe didn't revolve around The Doctor.

 _ **A/N –**_ _Probably the longest chapter I've done so far, there was a lot of backstory to fit into one chapter. If you want a faceclaim for the Second Susan, I kinda had Jamie Lee Curtis in mind. So Jenny's decided to meddle in The Doctor's past...bet that's going to end well._


	16. 3: We Are Family

_Chapter 6 – We Are Family_

The Doctor woke with a start, taking a few deep rasping breaths. Her eyes darted around the room and it took her a few moments to remember that she was laying in Susan's old bed onboard the TARDIS. Mentally chastising herself for falling asleep, she sat up and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. Her dream had been extremely vivid, recalling the final moments of Susan before accepting the matrix of The Doctor. The regeneration that followed was surprising yet on reflection understandable. The matrix needed a fresh, stable body to fully integrate with the new host. The Doctor snorted at that thought, a small amount of self loathing slipping in. When had she begun to think of Susan as a host rather than a person in her own right?

Slowly twisting her body and rolling her legs off the bed, The Doctor ran her hand through her hand. She paused, wincing as her fingers got caught up in a few knots. The Time Lady brought a few tangled locks of black hair in front her eyes, tugging frantically to smooth them out, "Great, The Oncoming Storm defeated by bed hair", she grumbled.

The Time Lady grabbed the nearby desk chair and rolled it in front of a mirror in the far corner of the room. Fortunately she remembered that Susan kept a hair brush in the top of her desk and retrieved that at the same time. Grumbling with each stroke of the brush, The Doctor tried to smooth out her mane but hair styling wasn't something that she had to worry about in the past. It was then that she spied a black band wrapped about her right wrist, the hair tie that Clara had given her back on Earth. She smiled and tentatively pulled her hair back, tying it into basic ponytail, "Thank you Clara Oswald", she chuckled.

Just mentioning her name suddenly made The Doctor realise how much she missed the young school teacher. So much had happened in the brief period they had been parted that it felt like a lifetime ago. The Time Lady lowered her gaze slightly, self doubt was creeping in and she didn't want to look herself in the mirror. Would Clara want to travel with her again? She hadn't been a fan of this regeneration the last time they met and now she had Jenny to think about. It had been fine with just the two of them but surely Clara would feel uncomfortable travelling with a mother and daughter.

A sudden chill ran through The Doctor and she slowly raised her head, "Where is Jenny?" she asked out loud. She reached out mentally but she couldn't sense the young Time Lady on the TARDIS, "Jenny please, tell me you didn't leave", The Doctor cried and jumped off her chair. She grasped the door frame, spinning her down the corridor and in the direction of the console room.

Moments later she arrived and quickly flicked a couple of switches, trying to locate her daughter. Whilst she was waiting for the results, The Doctor suddenly noticed something weird about her ship, "We're not moving", she muttered. Shuffling around the console to another monitor, she quickly pulled up her current location and the date, "Earth, England, early twenty third century", the Time Lady mused out loud, "Why would we be here?"

A feeling of dread suddenly washed over the woman, Jenny's mysterious absence and their current location, everything was starting to add up, "Tell me you didn't let her go here", she asked the TARDIS. The old time ship hummed in response, not committing to an answer either way, "The only way she would know about where to find the Campbell family is if you told her", The Doctor raised her voice slightly, her anger with her TARDIS beginning to build. In reply the TARDIS showered the Time Lady with a blast of steam, venting her own frustration with her pilot, "Don't get snippy with me", The Doctor snapped back, "I was going to come here when I was good and ready". The TARDIS door opened by themselves, giving the Time Lady a not so subtle hint to go and find her daughter, "See, no time like the present", she said, trying to keep up the pretence that she was doing this voluntarily.

The Doctor hesitated at the door frame but took the final step outside. The TARDIS had landed in a park on the outskirts of a city. The Time Lady could see the damaged buildings in the distance but there were signs that reconstruction was taking place, "Must be a few years after the second Dalek invasion", she mumbled to herself. The grass in the park was slightly overgrown with a brown tinge, a sign of minimal maintenance in recent years. There were a few burnt out patches, left over stains from the war with the Daleks but by and large, this place had been largely untouched by the recent battles.

About ten metres away from the TARDIS was a small wooden bench with someone sitting on the middle. The Time Lady immediately recognised the dark shade of red hair and the blue leather jacket. Jenny's head was angled downwards, possibly reading something in her hands. The Doctor placed her hands into her pockets and slowly walked over to the red head. She opened her mouth to speak but Jenny beat her to it, "Morning sleepy head", she stated without looked up.

The older Time Lady fumbled over her words for a couple of moments until she was eventually able to stammer out, "I wasn't sleeping, I was meditating". Jenny snorted with laughter, much to The Doctor's annoyance, "Don't change the subject young lady, you stole my TARDIS and took it on a joyride", she added.

"So", Jenny challenged and turned around. There was a small smirk on her face, "You stole that TARDIS first so I don't think you can lecture me about joyriding". She held up the device in her hands, a tablet computer from the early twenty first century, "The TARDIS was really helpful and basically gave me your life story", she leaned a little closer, "Did you really marry the Queen of England?" she asked.

"Which one?" The Doctor smiled back briefly before a frown settled back into place. She was supposed to be the parent here, telling off her child for piloting her ship without permission. She couldn't bring herself to do it though. The Time Lady walked around the bench and sat down next to Jenny, "Why did you bring us here?" she continued, "think about your answer carefully, the level of your punishment might depend on it".

Jenny nodded slowly and took a few moments to think of her answer. She placed the tablet inside her jacket and angled her body to face The Doctor, "Because I have family here", she began, "and you need closure for your husband and son's death".

"I don't have a husband", The Doctor replied coldly, "Susan Campbell had one but not me".

"But you're the same person", Jenny replied with a hint of frustration, "I can see it in your eyes, you need to do this".

"The Doctor and Susan aren't the same person, you know nothing about Time Lord physiology", the older Time Lady spat. Jenny's body language shifted at the harsh tone. She didn't recoil but instead took a slightly defensive position, she wasn't going to back down from this issue, "I see your talk with the Tenth Doctor did you the world of good", The Doctor added dryly. If she wasn't so annoyed with the insubordinate young Time Lady, she would be pleased that Jenny had rediscovered her confidence.

"I got what I needed if that's what you mean", Jenny glared back, "if I'm so ignorant of our heritage and biology, educate me".

The Doctor couldn't help but chuckle at the defiant Time Lady sitting next to her. Jenny crossed her arms and frowned at the older woman, "Sorry but you remind me of myself back in my academy days", The Doctor waived her off. "I used to give my teachers hell, just like you're doing now. Not just me, Kosechi and Ushas too", she added wistfully. She shook her head, clearing away memories of her school days and stood up, "Let's take a walk, I educate better on the move".

Jenny hesitated for a few moments and slowly stood up, eventually falling into step with The Doctor, "A Time Lord's mind and body are vastly different from anything else in the universe", the older Time Lady began her lecture, "our conciseness is held in something call the matrix and that is the most important essence of a Time Lord".

"I get that, I think", Jenny replied, "so if you have The Doctor's matrix, what happened to Susan's?"

"Gone", The Doctor said sadly. The sound of leaves crunching underneath their feet punctured the uncomfortable silence that had fallen on the park, "When she accepted the graft, she was fully aware of the consequences".

Jenny snorted, "Are you trying to convince me or yourself Doctor", the older Time Lady shot the red head a withering glare, "that's the theory but you've clearly demonstrated that you've retained some of Susan's memories".

"A vain attempt by my past incarnation to keep a small part of our granddaughter alive", The Doctor said, slightly dismissively. Their walk continued in silence but The Doctor could hear Jenny's thoughts going a mile a minute. The younger Time Lady was keeping silent though, patiently waiting for the lesson to continue. "I've been given a few extra memories in place of some that should belong to me", there was still a stony silence from Jenny, "I am 100 percent Doctor".

The pair came to a halt and Jenny placed her hand on a metal gatepost that sat between a old stone wall, "If that's the case, why are we here?" The Doctor looked up and realised there were standing at the entrance to a cemetery, "You could've gone in any direction but instead you came straight here". The older Time Lady froze at her daughter's words, subconsciously she had led them to the cemetery where David and Alex Campbell were buried. She felt Jenny's arm interlock with her hers and glared over at the younger woman, "I'm not trying to trick you Doctor, I'm trying to help you", she added warmly.

The Doctor nodded numbly and slowly led them into the cemetery. Perhaps Jenny was right, maybe there was more of Susan left behind then just a few memories and feelings. Technically that shouldn't be possible but The Doctor felt that it was true. The maternal instincts towards Jenny, that was all Susan. It wasn't that her past incarnations hadn't been a good parent, more that they weren't a natural like Susan had been. The overwhelming sense of grief that she felt whenever she thought about David and Alex, all of that came from Susan. Mere memories wouldn't generate such strong emotions like that.

What did that make The Doctor then, a freak Time Lady that shouldn't technically exist, "New generation Time Lady sounds better or maybe even a hybrid", Jenny smiled, "sorry you were broadcasting loudly, I didn't mean to intrude".

"No apology needed Jenny", The Doctor replied, "except maybe from me", They paused and The Doctor turned to face Jenny directly, "I wasn't particularly nice earlier-".

"Stop", Jenny smiled, "you're family, that means you're always forgiven". The Doctor gave her a warm smile although she was still slightly disappointed that Jenny hadn't indentified her as her mother. Hopefully would change with time, "Come on, you can introduce me to my step father and brother", Jenny added and pulled The Doctor behind her. The older Time Lady didn't have the heart to tell her that wasn't how their family tree worked and just went along silently with the red head.

The cemetery was filled with gravestone of varying different sizes. The Daleks had killed so many in the two invasions that the majority of people from the city had been buried in mass graves. Their final resting place was marked with a large black obelisk inscribed with the names of the fallen. The wealthier residents could afford their own private burial plot and that's where David and Alex Campbell were. The Campbell's hadn't been a rich family but they were influential between the wars in helping the rebuilding effort. David Campbell Junior had been in line to take over as the Prime Minister just before the Second Dalek War, allowing his parents and siblings to live in relative comfort.

The two Time Lady finally found the plot and The Doctor crouched down over the resting place of David and Alex. She silently placed a hand on the ground and recalled Susan's memories of the two men. She had loved them dearly especially Alex. She tried not to play favourites but Alex was her biological child, making her a little closer to him naturally. Time Lord fertility had been low for eons so the chance of conceiving a child with a human was extremely low but somehow, Susan had overcome those odds. Alex was a miracle that deserved more than to be killed by a Dalek grunt before he even reached twenty years old.

Jenny stood a couple of paces away, allowing The Doctor some time to quietly grieve. She could feel every emotion from the older Time Lady as the memories of David and Alex came flooding back. Jenny tried to focus on the positive ones, the bravery of the two men and the love they showed towards their family. The younger Time Lady suddenly became aware of a pair of voices approaching the plot and immediately became ready to defend herself and The Doctor if necessary. As casually as she could, she turned her head and spotted a man and a woman approaching with a bunch of flowers in their hands. They were approximately forty years old and dressed in what Jenny understood to be mourning clothes, black tie and jacket for the man and a long black dress on the woman. She hoped that the pair was heading towards another burial plot but this wasn't her lucky day, "Hello", the woman asked with a puzzled tone, "can we help you?"

Out the corner of her eye, Jenny noticed that The Doctor's body language had stiffened slightly. She flashed her broadest smile at the two strangers, "Just paying our respects", she began, "did you know David and Alex Campbell well?"

"I should say", the man snorted, "they were our father and brother". Jenny tensed up immediately, of all the people to run into, they had to encountered Barbara and Ian Campbell.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _ **A/N** \- One more chapter of Episode 3 left then we will move on to a more action packed adventure. Brief mention of Clara too, The Doctor is going back for her but not until Episode 5 just FYI. _


	17. 3: Looking Backwards, Moving Forwards

_Chapter 7 – Looking Back, Moving Forwards_

 _ **Previously**_ _\- The younger Time Lady suddenly became aware of a pair of voices approaching the plot and immediately became ready to defend herself and The Doctor if necessary. As casually as she could, she turned her head and spotted a man and a woman approaching with a bunch of flowers in their hands. They were approximately forty years old and dressed in what Jenny understood to be mourning clothes, black tie and jacket for the man and a long black dress on the woman. She hoped that the pair were heading towards another burial plot but this wasn't her lucky day, "Hello", the woman asked with a puzzled tone, "can we help you?"_

 _Out the corner of her eye, Jenny noticed that The Doctor's body language had stiffened slightly. She flashed her broadest smile at the two strangers, "Just paying our respects", she began, "did you know David and Alex Campbell well?"_

" _I should say", the man snorted, "they were our father and brother". Jenny tensed up immediately, of all the people to run into, they had to encountered Barbara and Ian Campbell._

Still crouched over at the grave side, The Doctor's blood ran cold the moment she heard the woman speak. The chances of Barbara and Ian arriving at that exact moment must've been thousands to one but here they were. A small part of her wanted to stay still and not acknowledge their presence, however, that would raise too much suspicion. Brushing her trousers, she slowly rose and turned to face Susan's children. They still looked exactly like she recalled from her memories, Barbara was a tall woman in her early forties. Her brown hair was cut close to her neckline in a stylish bob. Ian on the other hand had a thinning head of blonde hair but he was a similar age to his adopted sister. His face was marked with a scar down his left cheek, a consequence of the second war with the Daleks, "Sorry we didn't mean to intrude", she began, desperately trying to keep her emotions in check, "we'll get out of your way".

"There's no rush", Ian replied, "do I know you because you look familiar?"

The Doctor's words gone stuck in her mouth for a couple of moments. This body didn't look Susan Campbell or even like it could be a relative of her. She needed to think of a lie and quickly, "I served under Mr Campbell in the Third Legion", the Time Lady stated, quickly recalling as much as she could, "he was a great man".

"Yes, yes he was", Barbara sighed, "we were both young when Mum and Dad adopted us but they never showed us anything but love and kindness".

"That's why we're here", Ian added and took hold of his sister's hand, "today's the day our Mother disappeared". The Doctor threw a silent glare at Jenny and the younger Time Lady sheepishly looked towards the ground, "Legally she's been declared dead but we live in hope that we'll see her again".

A couple of silent tears fell down Barbara's cheek and The Doctor wanted nothing more than comfort the woman. They were her great-grandchildren but they were also so much more, they were Susan's children. Her memories were bubbling close to the surface and the material instinct nearly overrode her common. It was causing her a tremendous amount of pain but she had to stand there and watch her family suffer. This wasn't the time or place to reveal her true identity, "I'm very sorry for your loss", she stated with as much sympathy as possible, "if there's anything I can do to help", she added, slowly stepping away from the graves.

"Thank you, we'll keep that in mind", Ian answered for himself and his sister. The pair quietly knelt down and placed the bouquet on the grave. They bowed their heads in silent contemplation, their thoughts solely focused on their deceased father and brother as well as their missing mother. Slowly righting himself, Ian turned away from the tombstone, "I'm sorry I didn't-", he began to address The Doctor and Jenny but they were already halfway across the graveyard. "What an unusual pair", he commented, "I never even got their names".

Barbara nodded slowly, "There was something familiar about the dark haired woman", she said with a vacant tone. Ian didn't answer but he was thinking the same thing, he hadn't seen her before but there was something about the eyes and the way the raven haired woman carried herself that seemed extremely familiar.

The Doctor and Jenny walked in silence until they were confident the Campbell siblings were out of earshot. The Doctor kept her eyes on the ground, a deep frown embedded on her face. On a couple of occasions Jenny had opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't find the correct words. They reached the edge of the cemetery by the time the red haired Time Lady spoke, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought us here", she began.

"Don't apologise so often Jenny", The Doctor replied with a quiet voice, "it's a sign of weakness". There was silence for a couple more moments before she added, "You did what you thought was right, that's all that matters".

"I know", Jenny stumbled over the rest of her sentence, "I asked the TARDIS to bring us here". The Doctor gave her daughter a quick glance, "I asked her about Susan and she brought us here, I didn't know that today was the anniversary of your-", she shook her head and corrected herself, "I mean Susan's disappearance".

"You had good intentions Jenny", The Doctor's mouth turned upwards slightly, "and in a roundabout way you did help". Jenny smiled broadly but a raised hand from the older Time Lady stopped her dead in her tracks, "Just don't steal my TARDIS again, at least until I've shown you how to fly her properly", she added with a stony face. Despite the firm tone, The Doctor was smiling on the inside with pride. Jenny had shown intuitive and a desire to help others, she couldn't be angry with her for too long.

"Are you going to tell them the truth?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor sighed, "One day but today wasn't the right time". She thought about that for a moment, would there ever be a right time to reveal the truth to her great-grandchildren? The more The Doctor thought about that, the more she was convinced that the answer was no. But there were better times than others and standing at the graveside of their father and brother wasn't one of them. At least they were still living their lives, that's all she could hope for them. "Right we should probably get going", The Doctor clapped her hands together, "I need to introduce you to Clara".

Jenny frowned slightly, not because she didn't want to meet Clara but The Doctor hadn't told her the whole story of what happened to Donna. She had been deliberately avoid that subject for the last few hours, "Can't we just stop and take a breather?" she pleaded, "it's been a really busy few hours".

The older Time Lady hadn't really how little time had passed since she had been reintroduced to Jenny and how much they had packed into that time. They had stopped a Moon colony from getting overrun by Time Shadows, saved Gallifrey from destruction, met all of the previous Doctor's and two of her great-grandchildren. "I suppose we could rest for a while", she smiled, "one of the perks of having a time machine". She turned around and started walking backwards towards the TARDIS, "I haven't shown you the games room yet, I picked up this amazing chess set from the planet Onedari. They've found a way to animate the pieces, it's just like playing Wizards Chess".

The red head looked blankly at her mother, "Wizards are real?" she asked in confusion.

"Well yes but I'm talking about Wizards Chess from Harry Potter", still Jenny's face was totally blank, "you've never heard of the Harry Potter series?"

"Nope", Jenny shook her head, "this is my first time on Earth actually". She looked around at the nearby city, "it's a little greyer than I imagined".

"You've never been to Earth", The Doctor laughed, "that's why you never ran into me, should've been the first place you looked". The younger Time Lady raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with The Doctor's attempted joke, "Still too soon?" Jenny nodded, "Fair enough but you're going to love Earth but first of all I need to introduce you to the magic of JK Rowling". She looked Jenny over and flicked her hair, "You could pass for a Weasley with that colour hair actually".

"Speaking of hair", Jenny tugged on The Doctor's sloppy ponytail, "I need to teach you a thing or two about styling". She rubbed her hands together, "Once we've finished with your books, we can have a proper girly evening".

The Doctor froze in her stride. She had faced down an entire Dalek fleet, a legion of Cybermen and an army of Sontarans but nothing filled her with more dread then the words 'girly evening'. Memories of similar evenings with Nyssa and Tegan, Amy and River and perhaps the most disturbing, Rose and Jack, were up there with some of the most frightening things she had witnessed. "And I thought you were a soldier at heart", The Doctor tried to talk Jenny out of this, "I didn't think would engage in such activities".

"A woman should always know how to look her best", Jenny smiled, "you never know when you'll need to use your femininity to charm information out of someone", she added with a saucy smile.

"I hope you're not speaking from experience", The Doctor frowned but Jenny didn't respond, instead she just kept walking towards the TARDIS. "Jenny", she called out, "come back here young lady", she shouted towards Jenny's rapidly retreating form.

Back at the graveyard, Ian and Barbara were walking down the path towards their parked vehicle. There were still contemplating the two mysterious women that had been at David and Alex's burial site. The red head they definitely hadn't seen before but the dark haired one definitely reminded them of someone. Their initial thought had been of their mother's grandfather, the one known only as The Doctor. They had only met the man once but he certainly left an impression with his dark curly hair and dress sense that was several centuries out of date. The pair certainly had the same fashion sense, their jackets were made of the same material, just in different colours. He never mentioned having any family but then again, they hadn't gotten much of an opportunity to talk with him.

At the same time they could also feel their mother's presence in the woman. Susan hadn't talked about her family much, only stating that they weren't around anymore. The woman was much too young to be a sibling, she looked younger than them and they would've noticed if their mother had another child. They were too emotionally drained from the day to give it much more thought, all they wanted to do was go home and relax.

When they reached their car, they found a piece of paper underneath the wiper of their vehicle. Ian frowned and slowly pulled the note free from the rubber wiper blade. He opened it up and read it out loud, "Everything your mother told you was a lie", he spat, "is this someone's idea of a sick joke".

Barbara took the note and turned it over, "There's more, if you want to know the truth call this number". The note had been typed so they wouldn't be able to trace the handwriting, "Could those two strangers have done this?"

"I'm not sure", Ian replied, "probably just some kids trying to be funny", he screwed the note into a tight ball and tossed it to the ground, "try and put it out of your mind". Barbara gave him a warm smile and turned her back to enter the car. As she did this, Ian bent down and quickly stuffed the note in his pocket. The note had piqued his interest, surely it wouldn't hurt to at least hear this stranger out? Without saying a word to his sister, he started the car and slowly pulled out of the car park and began the drive back home.

 **END EPISODE 3**

 _ **A/N –**_ _Mostly backstory this episode. Chapter 1 of Episode 4 will be up late next week which will see The Doctor and Jenny get embroiled in an adventure in seventeenth century Japan. Thanks for the reviews and support for the story, please do keep them coming._


	18. Episode 4: Time Of The Kunoichi

_Episode 4: Time of the Kunoichi_

 _Chapter 1_

The Doctor was bored, that was the only word she could use to describe her current state of mind. Honouring Jenny request the older Time Lady had kept the TARDIS in the Time Vortex for the last few days. Her daughter had been through a rough time recently, dying at the hands of the Time Shadows before her unexpected regeneration. The talk with some past incarnations of The Doctor had clearly had a positive impact as Jenny was acting much more upbeat. The pair spent most of the time getting used to each other's company, mostly with regular visits to the onboard cinema. They spent several hours watching movies from various different planets and cultures, bonding over the flawed science in the films with a large bowl of popcorn between them.

It wasn't all fun and games though as The Doctor had gotten Jenny started on her Time Lady lessons. Taking after her mother Jenny was an extremely quick studier, often going through several text books a day. The Doctor couldn't be any prouder of her daughter and the time in the vortex had given their relationship the time needed to develop. Jenny was much more comfortable around the older Time Lady and in return, The Doctor was much more open with her feelings. In many aspects the new mother/daughter relationship had been good for both women.

Unfortunately even with all this bonding, The Doctor's urge to explore was continuing to rise. This had been the longest period she had been stationery since her own regeneration and it was beginning to gnaw away at her. She wanted to get back out amongst the stars, see new planets and most importantly, The Doctor wanted to get back to Clara. This period of rest had allowed the Time Lady to realise that she hadn't been particularly kind to her friend during their last adventure in London. Parenthood had a slightly calming effect on The Doctor, maybe not a huge amount but she felt a little more at peace and she couldn't wait to share this with her companion.

The TARDIS had been in her possession for nearly eighteen hundred years but even now, The Doctor still got a little lost inside the maze of corridors. She had passed the library at least three times in her search for Jenny alone. Finally admitting that she was lost, the Time Lady sighed loudly, "Alright I give in, can you point me in Jenny's direction?" she asked the TARDIS. One of the lights in the corridor flickered, indicating that she should proceed to the right, "Thank you very much", The Doctor beamed, "Sexy", she added with a quiet whisper.

The Doctor turned the corner and found an open doorway. Inside was a replica of an early twenty first century gym, complete with exercise mats, treadmills and punching bags, "Huh, never realised I owned a gym", the Time Lady said out loud. Standing in the middle of mats was Jenny, dressed in some exercise attire. Her knuckles had been taped up with white tape and her red hair was stuck to her forehead with her own sweat. Opposite her was a figure purely green in colour and with a similar body shape to Jenny. The green model was blank, devoid of any features whatsoever. The Doctor leaned against the door frame, curious to see what her daughter was up to.

Jenny bowed respectfully to the green model and dropped into a fighting stance. She then aimed a right hook at the model, which was promptly blocked, "You've reprogrammed a Simulaids to act as a combat training dummy", The Doctor smiled, "clever girl". After The Flesh fell out of fashion, Simulaids were invented to act as human duplicates in dangerous situations. They were usually controlled remotely but they could be programmed to operate autonomously if necessary. The older Time Lady watched as her daughter battled the Simulaid with awe. Even in her new body, Jenny was a nimble fighter but The Doctor noticed she wasn't fully committed to each attack. Something was holding Jenny back and the older Time Lady could feel the frustration emanating from her daughter.

It was inevitable that this frustration would boil over The Doctor thought and sadly she was proven right about a minute later. Jenny used a spinning kick but stumbled during her rotation. The Simulaid took advantage of the opening and landed a kick of its own in the young Time Lady's stomach. One kick to the back of Jenny's legs later and the fight was over and the red head had lost. "Oh Jenny", The Doctor sighed, feeling the anger and disappointment rolling off her daughter after the defeat.

Jenny stayed down on the mat for a few moments, her chest rising and falling as she took a number of deep breaths. Moments later she noticed her mother walk nonchalantly up to the Simulaid and pinch the side of its neck. The green skinned dummy slumped to its knees before landing face first on the mat next to Jenny, "Why didn't you do that?" The Doctor commented, "much less effort required", she added with a cheeky smile.

"Don't tell me, you know some weird alien nerve pinch that disables anything instantly", Jenny groaned without raising her head.

"No I just turned it off", The Doctor shrugged, "the switch is located in its neck". Jenny lifted her head for the first time since hitting the mat and glared at the older Time Lady, not sure whether to laugh or cry. The Doctor rolled the dummy out the way with her foot and sat down cross legged directly opposite Jenny, "You looked pretty good", she gave her daughter a reassuring smile, "based on the few minutes I saw anyway".

"Yeah but what you didn't see is the previous fifteen attempts", Jenny slowly dragged herself up into a seated position, "I'm currently zero and sixteen against a piece of plastic and metal, not a fantastic record".

The Doctor couldn't help but feel sympathy for her daughter. When Jenny had first been "born", she was programmed with every fighting style known to humanity. During their brief interaction on Messaline, The Doctor had seen her perform some nearly unbelievable feats of agility. She could only assume that Jenny had continued in the same vain for the following eighty something years and it was only since her regeneration that her daughter had encountered these difficulties. This was all guesswork but sadly, The Doctor's guesses were normally right, "Talk to me Jenny", she began, "that's what I'm here for".

It took several moments and much lip biting before Jenny answered, "My combat training, it's not there anymore", she sighed.

The Doctor nodded sadly, she had been correct in her assumption but this time she really wished she hadn't been. "Is that a bad thing?" The Doctor asked, "regeneration gives you the chance to start again, learn something new about yourself".

Jenny sat back and thought about this in silence. She had discovered her ability to see timelines, something her previous body couldn't do, and had been working hard to develop this. But her combat skills had saved her many times in the past and it was something useful to have in case of an emergency. That wasn't the only thing concerning her either, "Doctor I was born to fight", she replied, "literally that was the sole reason I was created. If I can't do that then what am I supposed to be?"

"Whatever you want", The Doctor answered with a slightly dismissive shrug, "Jenny you are the first Time Lord or Lady born since the end of the Time War. I spent the first couple of hundred years of my life learning about duty and my responsibilities as a Time Lord so I could serve the Time Lord High Council". She paused and took a deep breath, "I changed my destiny reinvented myself as an explorer and over the centuries I've continued to evolve". She leaned forward slightly, trying to catch Jenny's eye, "You've seen all of my past regenerations, how do I compare with that grey haired man in that stiff looking suit?"

"I get that, I really do", Jenny began, "but I really like my original body, why can't I do all the things I used to but just in this body?"

It was a very good question and The Doctor didn't initially know how to respond. Unfortunately the answer what the regeneration process itself. Whilst a Time Lord retained the same basic characteristics throughout their regenerations, certain elements changed with the body. The principle was similar to humanity, two people might have similar looking bodies by they might not be suited to the same things. They would have different likes and dislikes and it was exactly the same for Time Lords.

All of that wouldn't help Jenny and The Doctor's hearts broke as she looked at the despondent face of her daughter, "I used to be a pretty good fighter", she stated, "back in my third body, I was a real man of action". The Doctor smiled as she recalled the velvet and frills favouring man, "I could disable a group of attackers in just four moves".

"Why don't you do that now?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor shrugged, "Mostly because I don't want to but I could if I wanted to. Most incarnations after that curly haired dandy preferred to use their brains instead of their muscles". She then snorted with laughter, "Although there was this one time Nine got into a bar room brawl in the old West. Someone looked at Rose the wrong way so he laid him out with a stool". She continued to smile at the memory until she shook herself out of her revelry, "The point I'm trying to make is that your skills are still there but this body just has different strengths than your last one".

"Part of me knows that you're right", Jenny smiled sadly, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it".

"And that's what makes you my daughter", The Doctor beamed and even Jenny had to smile slightly at the comment. The older Time Lady tapped her knees, an idea was brewing inside her head. Maybe there was a way to satisfy her urge to travel as well as Jenny's desire to practice martial arts, "Go get yourself cleaned up", she tapped Jenny on the leg, "I've got a destination in mind that might help you with your problem".

Jenny frowned and slowly stood up, "I thought I was going to meet Clara today?"

"Clara, right", The Doctor suddenly remembered her companion, "she'll still be there in a few hours, so go get changed and meet me in the console room". Jenny stood there for a few seconds until she trudged out of the gym towards her room. The Doctor watched her leave before standing up herself and heading for the console room.

During the journey she noticed the hair band that was once again attached to her wrist. It had been a small gesture by Clara but it was an act of kindness that had been greatly appreciated, if maybe not at the time. The small piece of elastic reminded her of the school teacher and the promise she made to return for her. This journey with Jenny was unplanned but her daughter needed her more right now. After all, Clara was the one who asked for some time to think things through.

The Time Lady tinkered with the console, setting the destination for the little trip, "Still doesn't get old", she whispered with glee.

"What doesn't?" Jenny asked as she reappeared in the console room. She had swapped out her yellow jeans for a faded red pair but still kept her blue leather jacket. Her hair was tied back into a braid and still damp from her shower.

"Travelling somewhere new", The Doctor beamed, "still isn't old even after two thousand years". She flipped the handbrake on the console, setting them in flight, "Maybe you need to approach your training in a different way", she continued, "maybe with a new body, you need to start from the very beginning. Right now, you're acting like you're the expert you were and expecting your body to respond like your last incarnation did".

"Makes sense, I think", Jenny nodded slowly, "so where are we going".

"The home of martial arts", The Doctor smiled as the time rotor groaned loudly, "we're going to Japan".

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _ **A/N -** Episode 4 of Series 8 then, one final adventure for the mother and daughter team before they reunite with Clara. I'm drawing on my experience writing PR fiction and done an action packed (mostly) romp through seventeeth century Japan. As always comments and feedback is greatly appreciated. _


	19. 4: The Demons Of Edo

_Chapter 2 – The Demons Of Edo_

A loud groaning wail echoed throughout the forest and strong breeze began to blow through the branches. Out of nowhere the TARDIS began to slowly materialise, fading in and out a few times until it became solid. A few moments later the door opened and the two Time Lady's took their first steps into the forest, "Japan, the shining jewel of the east", The Doctor declared, opening her arms out widely, "Always wanted to visit this part of the world", she added.

"You've never been?" Jenny asked, slightly surprised, "how have you reached two thousand years old and never visited Japan?"

"Oi don't be so cheeky", The Doctor scolded, "never really had an excuse before. In my defence some kind of apocalypse in Britain usually gets my attention when I'm on Earth".

The trees seemed to go on forever in every direction that the Time Lady's looked. A low mist hung over the treetops, creating an unsettling atmosphere. Jenny couldn't deny that it was picturesque though, she had never been somewhere that was so green before. The Doctor had already walked off in one direction, continuing to ramble on about the country. Something didn't feel right to the young Time Lady though, the last time she felt like this was on her first appearance in the FSEC Moon Base. "Doctor, precisely when and where did you say we were?" she asked.

"Come on Jenny, you should be able to tell me that", The older Time Lady replied without turning around. "We are on the outskirts of the Japanese capital Tokyo, sometime during the 1970's". The Doctor spun around and continued her walk backward, "Great time for the country, the ghosts of World War Two had been mostly banished and it was the dawn of a new age of prosperity for the Japanese people. They were becoming the global leaders in technology whilst still keeping in touch with their rich heritage".

Jenny nodded in the right places as The Doctor spoke but the feelings she was getting didn't match up with her mother's words, "I've read up on Earth geography during my studies", she began, "if I recall Tokyo should have a population in the millions as this point, correct?" The Doctor nodded in response, "So where are they?"

The Doctor opened her mouth but Jenny's question had stumped her. She took a quick look around, silently agreeing with her daughter that they weren't in the vicinity of Tokyo, "Huh, must've got the co-ordinates wrong", she shrugged, "never mind, we can still make the best of this". She continued walking in the same direction, forcing Jenny to roll her eyes and follow.

The Time Lady's had been walking for at least ten minutes, still in the damp and slightly creepy forest. The low mist obscured their view and made it almost impossible to tell where they were. Jenny zipped up her jacket all the way to her neck, trying to fend off the chilly air. Even The Doctor was feeling uncomfortable and pulled her coat a little tighter to her body. She also moved the sonic screwdriver into her outer pocket. Something was telling her that she could need it in the next few minutes. "We're lost aren't we?" Jenny finally said, "we have no idea where we are or even where the TARDIS is".

"Don't be such a misery", The Doctor huffed, taking a few moments to look around, "we're just a little out of position, that's all".

"Sure", Jenny snorted, pushing her hands a little deeper into her jacket pockets. She too began to look around, still feeling a little uncomfortable in the forest. Just then she heard a snapping noise and her head spun around, "What was that?" she said, "sounded like someone stepping on a stick".

"I didn't hear anything", The Doctor replied absentmindedly, "stop being paranoid and help me get our bearings", she groaned, "and remind me not to let you watch any more horror movies before bed".

Jenny shook her head a couple of times, trying to focus on any other noises coming out the forest. There was nothing though, only the sound of breathing coming from her and The Doctor. "We're too exposed here", Jenny mumbled, "we should get back to the TARDIS and find out where exactly we are".

"For the last time, I know exactly where we are", The Doctor replied with a grumpy tone, "we're alone in a forest, what's the worst that could happen?" Moments later several voices came out of the forest, all of them directed at the Time Lady's. Out of the mist came a dozen men, dressed in black robes with dark armour plates covering their chests, arms and thighs. On top of their heads were golden coloured helmets with the lower half of their face obscured with visors. "Ah right", The Doctor stuttered, "I'll admit this doesn't look good".

"Ten minutes seventeen seconds", Jenny grumbled, slowly raising her hands, "I would've hoped to avoid getting captured for a few more minutes at least".

"You pick now to use your time sense", The Doctor hissed, slowly backing up under she stood next to Jenny. "I think we're in the Tokyo area but just a little early than I planned".

Jenny sighed loudly, "How much earlier?"

"Two or three", The Doctor paused briefly, "hundred years", Jenny glared angrily at the older Time Lady, "possibly four hundred, hard to tell without gathering some more evidence".

"Great, I'll ask one of these nice men for this year's calendar", Jenny replied sarcastically.

"Silence", another voice came out of the trees. The twelve masked men dropped to one knee and lowered their head respectfully. Another man slowly approached the Time Lady's in similar armour to the other but his was a lot more intricate designed with several golden accents. Unlike the others he wasn't wearing a helmet, allowing The Doctor to get a good look at him. His Asian features were haughty and twisting into an arrogant smirk. His long black hair brushed against his shoulders and was tied back with a red ribbon, "you should not be here", his cold voice boomed out.

"Absolutely correct your Lordship", The Doctor bowed respectfully and Jenny hesitantly followed suit, "we apologise for trespassing".

There was a quiet murmuring from the gathered soldiers and they stared at the two women. Even the one identified as their leader looked slightly surprised, "Outsiders who speak our tongue", he replied, "most unusual". He slowly approached the Time Lady's giving them a closer inspection, "You know your kind is not allowed in this forest".

His gaze continued to linger on The Doctor and her skin began to crawl. She held her head a little higher and looked straight back at him, "An honest mistake my good man, so if you'll excuse us we'll be on our way".

The man chuckled loudly, "I think not", he began to prowl in front of the Time Lady's, "my edict was very clear, all women were barred from the village and surrounding area".

The Doctor frowned at this piece of information. Judging from their outfits they were in the Edo period of Japan, possibly some time during the mid sixteenth century. The era was defined by the closed border policy and general suspicious of any foreigners. It was also a fiercely male dominated society, then again the majority of societies were during this particular period of history. Despite that The Doctor hadn't heard of any culture that excluded women completely from society. Deciding to push further and asked with as much authority as she could muster, "Barred, on what grounds?"

The Lord and his followers laughed loudly for a few moments, much to the confusion of the Time Lady's, "On the grounds of being women", the leader laughed, "your appalling memory only serves to prove my point".

"Excluded for being a woman", Jenny snorted, "that's ridiculous".

Before she could continue one of the guards stepped forward and backhanded her across the face. The red head recoiled slightly and rubbed her cheek, "You will not address Lord Masato in this way you filthy creature".

The Doctor's blood began to boil at their treatment of her daughter and she was about to intervene. Before she had a chance Jenny stormed up to her attacker, her entire body shaking with fury. Even The Doctor had to step back with the level of anger pouring off her daughter. Jenny grabbed the man by the shoulder and placed her left foot on top of his right foot. Before the man could react, Jenny drove her right foot down onto his right knee. The joint bent backwards with a sickening crack and the man fell to ground, crying out loudly in pain.

There was a stunned silence in the forest as Lord Masato and his protectors stared at the small red haired woman. She had disabled one of their best samurai in the blink of an eye and with very little effort. Lord Masato was the first to react and aimed an attack of his own at Jenny. His attempted punch was stopped inches from an unwavering Jenny by The Doctor, who caught his fist with her hand. "If you or any other of you stinking apes so much as breathe on my daughter, I will remove you from the very fabric of history", the raven haired Time Lady said with a cold and deadly whisper. Lord Masato saw the stormy look in the woman's dark eyes and nodded once, very stiffly, "Glad we understand each other", The Doctor added and pushed him away.

Lord Masato rubbed his hand and thought about his next move. Allowing them to leave would weaken his position amongst the clan, potentially leaving him open to disposure or even assassination. The pair were deceptively strong and fast though, one of his best men was already out of commission thanks to one with unnatural coloured hair, "Don't think too hard Lord-sama", The Doctor smirked, "we haven't got all day".

The other samurai were itching to defend their Lord's honour but a quick gesture from the man halted their progress, "You've placed me in a difficult position", he began slowly, "I believe you are too valuable to simply execute but too dangerous to be kept alive".

"Story of my life", The Doctor snorted.

"You two come with me", Lord Masato ordered, "we will continue the interrogation at my home".

"Not going to happen", The Doctor shook her head, "I and I alone will come with you but my daughter goes free". Jenny opened her mouth to say something but a telepathic prod from the older Time Lady stopped her. Once Jenny was free, the plan was to find the TARDIS and use it to break The Doctor out of whatever prison she found herself in.

Lord Masato thought about this for a moment before nodding in agreement, "Very well but I must say, you do not look old enough to have a daughter".

"I moisturise regularly", The Doctor nodded her head towards Jenny would quickly retreated in the direction she came from. Two samurai grabbed her roughly from behind and pushed her in the direction of the village, "Not so rough boys, at least have the manners to buy me dinner first".

"You speak so strangely", Lord Masato chuckled, "your words seem out of place". The Doctor only smirked in response, "I don't believe I caught your name outsider".

"You can call me The Doctor", she replied coldly and continued to walk behind the Lord. Moments later she felt panic coming through her mental link with Jenny. She quickly turned her head and realised that half of Masato's samurai were missing, "You promised me that my daughter would be safe".

Lord Masato snorted, "I said she could go", he replied, "I never said what would happen to her after that. She did injure one of my men after all", The Doctor fought against her captor but the grip was too strong. She had to trust that Jenny could look after herself.

In the forest it didn't take Jenny long to realise that someone was following her. She picked up her pace, gripped her sonic pen tightly and began looking for anything to use as a weapon. She counted at least six different sets of footsteps, which would've been easy in her previous incarnation but almost certainly hazardous in this body. She briefly considered letting them get her and hoping that her next regeneration was more of a fighter. Jenny dismissed that quickly, not even her first incarnation had been that reckless to just give away her life. She needed to follow The Doctor's advice and try to use her brain to get out of this situation.

Spotting a large fallen branch on the ground she began to crouch down only to sharply turn on the spot with her sonic pen at the ready. She pressed down on the button and a loud, high pitched whine echoed throughout the forest. The men grabbed the side of their helmet in a vain attempt to block out the pain noise but to no avail. Jenny grabbed the branch and kept her finger down on the button of her sonic device. She charged at the group, silenced her pen and rammed the branch into ribs of the nearest man. He was knocked back into one of his friends, sending them tumbling to the floor. Another swing of her branch dented the helmet of another would be attacker, knocking him unconscious. Jenny was about to thank various deities for her superior Time Lord biology but then she noticed that the other three were recovering from their sonic assault. Deciding that discretion would be prudent in this situation, she dropped the branch and set off at a sprint in the vague direction of the TARDIS.

She was moving as fast as her legs could carry her but the men were still close on her trail. Jenny snuck a look behind her but failed to see a protruding tree root in her path. She tripped over the root and went sprawling to the dirt. She rolled over just in time to see the three remaining samurai looming over her, "Looks like you're all alone now", one of them said, "you've injured four of my friends, I think that makes your life forfeit". Jenny could see a slight glint as he unsheathed a dagger from his belt.

The young Time Lady began to think of possible escape routes, the primary one would be to use the sonic pen once again. It would offer her a chance to put some distance between her potential attackers but she would probably end up in a similar position again. At some point she would permanently need to lose the samurai.

Suddenly a loud bang shook the forest and moments later several large branches fell down between herself and the samurai. Jenny looked up and could see three figures in black standing in the lowest branch. The samurais also spotted the trio and gasped loudly, "It's the demons", one of them cried, "quickly before they kill us all". The three men quickly turned and fled back towards the village without a second glance at Jenny.

The red head frowned as she watched the group retreat, what was so scary about those three figures to scary off three highly training samurai. Jenny looked up again but the figures had gone and to her surprise they were right in front of her. She slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. The three figures were dress in black clothes from head to toe, loosely fitted around their upper arms and thighs. A hood covered their hair and a mask covered each of their faces. Each one had a different mask, depicting a different kind of animal, "Thank you, you've just saved my life", Jenny bowed in appreciation.

The one in the middle was the tallest and her mask had the design of a fox. They didn't move for a moment until they spoke in a hushed tone, "An outsider and a speaker". Jenny frowned, that wasn't the voice she expected her saviour to use. The fox wearer lowered her hood and removed her mask, revealing a Japanese girl probably no older than eighteen, "State your business here", she continued with a measured tone, "if I do not like the answer, I will have my sister's disembowel you and feed the remains to the rodents". Jenny gulped loudly, she had stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 _ **A/N -** I have no idea if The Doctor has ever been to Japan, I couldn't think of a specific example so I guessed. I'm sure someone will correct me if I guessed incorrectly..._


	20. 4: Spirit Of Ninja

_Chapter 3 – Spirit Of Ninja  
_

 _ **Previously -**_ _The one in the middle was the tallest and her mask had the design of a fox. They didn't move for a moment until they spoke in a hushed tone, "An outsider and a speaker". Jenny frowned, that wasn't the voice she expected her saviour to use. The fox wearer lowered her hood and removed her mask, revealing a Japanese girl probably no older than eighteen, "State your business here", she continued with a measured tone, "if I do not like the answer, I will have my sister's disembowel you and feed the remains to the rodents". Jenny gulped loudly, she had stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire._

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you", Jenny held her hands up defensively, "if you could just point me in the direction of Lord Masato's home then I'll be on my way".

The teenager warrior glared at Jenny before slowly reaching for the belt of her robes. A quick glint from the sun caught Jenny's eye and she realised that the girl was pulling out some kind of knife, "Wait", one of the other figures in black spoke, the one wearing a cat mask. It was another female voice, similar in age to the girl if not younger, "Why do you seek out Masato?"

Jenny sighed, "Because he took my mother", she placed her hands behind her head and looked towards the dull grey sky, "I stood there and watched her get taken away whilst I ran like a coward into the forest".

"Sometimes it takes a brave warrior to know when to retreat", the unmasked girl spoke, "the odds of winning were not in your favour, perhaps the best course of action was to flee".

"Doesn't help Mum though", Jenny suddenly stopped herself, startled by her own words. That was the first time she had called The Doctor 'Mum' out loud. She wasn't sure when this change in her attitude towards the older Time Lady had changed. Things had certainly been different since she had assisted in the saving of Gallifrey. It was also the first time she had seen The Doctor as an actual person with weaknesses and failings just like everyone else.

Jenny had built up a romanticised version of the Tenth Doctor in her head and was disappointed that she found the current version of The Doctor instead. The time the pair had spent together on the TARDIS had seen them bond even further. Jenny was now confident that The Doctor wasn't going to leave her behind and wanted the red head in her life. She had a stable home for the first time, assuming she freed The Doctor from an overzealous and woman hating Lord, "Sorry got lost in my thoughts there", Jenny said, snapping back to the present, "Let's start again, I'm Jenny", she waived at the trio, "can I ask who you are?"

The one in the middle continued to stare at Jenny but the Time Lady held her ground. The standoff continued until the girl nodded her head stiffly, silently instructing her companions to remove their masks. If Jenny had been surprised by the youth of the leader, she was totally shocked to see that rest of the group were even younger. She had been right about the one in the cat mask, the girl couldn't be any older than sixteen. The other one was also female and she was barely into her teens. Jenny could see a family resemblance between the three, "When you said sisters, you meant literally didn't you", she added with a smirk.

"Very observant", the one in the middle replied, "I am Suzuka, to my left is Akira", the middle sibling nodded, "and to my right is Kiko", the youngest one waived almost too enthusiastically. "We saw what you did to one of Masato's men, quite impressive".

"Thank you", Jenny replied with a small blush.

"Humble as well", Akira gave the young Time Lady an appraising look. Jenny shifted uncomfortably on the spot, it was like the teenager was looking directly into her soul, "You have internal wisdom that defies your youthful appearance, you are much older than you appear", she tilted her head slightly, "how can this be?"

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you", Jenny shrugged.

"Oh she would", Kiko joined the conversation with a cheerful, singsong kind of voice, "Nechan has the gift of insight".

Suzuka rolled her eyes, "Kiko-chan, what have I told you about revealing our family secrets?" she scolded her younger sister.

"I won't tell anyone", Jenny leaned a little closer and added with a whisper, "she's correct though, I am older than I appear. Keep this to yourselves but I'm actually eighty seven".

Jenny intention for sharing this information was to build trust with the siblings. Instead they all eyed her with suspicion, "Are you mocking us?" Suzuka hissed, gripping the hilt of her dagger a little tighter.

"Trust me, I wouldn't mock anyone holding a knife", Jenny took a cautious step back, "I'm not an idiot like my mother".

"You should show respect to your mother", it was Kiko's turn to scold the Time Lady.

Jenny snorted, "You won't say that after you've met her", she then briefly glance at Akira who was once again inspecting her carefully, "low level telepath", Jenny returned the look the middle sibling was giving her. The young Time Lady could sense something about the teen, a psychic field that she had previously only found around The Doctor. It wasn't as intense though, probably just enough to sense someone's honesty and intent rather than reading thoughts, "You know I'm telling the truth", she added with conviction in Akira's direction.

The middle sibling stood impassive, only moving her eyes to catch her older sister's stare. Suzuka took one last look at the red head before stepping a little further away from the woman. A few moments later her two younger siblings followed her, "I do not trust her", she stated.

"She did fight off several of Masato's men", Kiko added in defence of the Time Lady.

"Quiet Kiko-chan", Suzuka snapped, "that does not mean anything. We have sworn to protect our village, we cannot afford to take chances with our personal safety".

The young teen pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Akira-chan thinks she's telling the truth", she looked at her middle sibling, "right?"

Akira took a deep breath and glanced briefly at the red haired Time Lady, "She is concealing something", she paused for a moment, "but she is telling us the truth. Her mother is a prisoner of Masato and she would do anything to rescue her".

"And her age?" Suzuka asked, more out of personal curiosity.

The middle sister nodded in response, "She was being honest about this too". Suzuka took a few moments to process this information, a strange woman appears on the outskirts of her village claiming to be nearly a hundred years old. She has displayed flashes of power and strength with the way she fought off Masato's men along with intelligence by using her weird sound making device to disorientate her would be attackers. "Permission to speak freely nechan", Akira continued and her older sister nodded, "this could be a great opportunity to strike a decisive blow against Masato".

"Our battle could soon be over", Kiko added hopefully.

Suzuka sighed loudly, "I still do not trust her", she shook her head, "fine, we will take her to the camp to allow her time to come up with a plan, we will discuss this further then". Akira nodded solemnly and Kiko grinned broadly at the announcement, "Let us share the good news".

"No need", Jenny smiled and walked up to the siblings, "I've got pretty good hearing". The sister's glared at each other, still unsure what to make of this unusual woman, "So where's camp?"

The quartet hiked through the wood, expertly led by the youngest of the group. Both Akira and Suzuka kept their distance from the Time Lady, each for their own different reasons. The oldest sibling simply didn't trust Jenny whereas Akira found the red head slightly unsettling. There was something about the woman that made her uncomfortable, an unnatural presence that surrounded the red head. They had been walking for about ten minutes when Jenny broke the silence, "Neat trick with those explosives", she began, "really scared those men".

"Gunpowder is very versatile", Suzuka replied with a bored tone in her voice.

"Yeah but still, shows great imagination", Jenny continued, determined to break through the cold exterior all the girls had, "why did they call you demons?" she asked.

"All part of our plan to get back at Masato", Kiko turned around and smiled at the red head, "we use the outfits and masks to conceal our identity then sneak around the forest disposing of his men".

Something clicked inside Jenny's mind as the words tumbled out of Kiko's mouth, "Ninja's" she suddenly exclaimed loudly, "well Kunoichi technically since you're girls but I've never actually met a real life ninja before. Jenny's hands were flapping around wildly with her word that she said, "Course most of the stuff that's written about ninja's is a load of rubbish. You don't really have super powers, it's all just smoke and mirrors mostly. Ninjitsu was always one of my favourite styles, great for immobilising enemies quickly", she chuckled loudly to herself, "sorry I must some like a real fangirl right now".

"I have no idea what you are talking about", Suzuka replied dryly. The conversation lapsed into silence again with only the occasional tweeting bird to break up the monotony. Suzuka tried her best to walk quickly to keep out the way of this strange red haired woman. Like her younger sister everything about Jenny put her on edge, from her strange clothes to her unusual way of talking. She was so desperate to avoid her that Suzuka didn't notice a large tree root sticking up in her path. The teen tripped and braced herself for a hard hit against the ground but the impact never came. Despite the distance between them, Jenny had somehow reached out to her and stopped her from falling, "Thank you", she reluctantly mumbled.

"Some Kunoichi you are", Jenny smiled and straightened out Suzuka's robe, similar to how a mother would smarten up their child. Suzuka's younger sisters look on in amazement, no one treated their older sister like this, "There we go, can't have you walking around with a creased uniform", the red head smiled and continued walking like nothing had happened.

It took Suzuka a few moments to regain her composure and the ability to use her voice. Eventually she was able to splutter, "Why do you care?" Jenny paused and slowly turned around, "you have never met us and yet you treat us with kindness".

"Shouldn't everyone be treated with kindness", Jenny shrugged nonchalantly. The confusion displayed by the three Kunoichi sisters surprised Jenny slightly. During her travels she had very rarely journeyed back much further than the twentieth century and never to Earth during this time period. The fact that these three children weren't used to unexplained acts of kindness shocked and saddened her. It was times like this that she wondered how The Doctor had done this for so long, "This is how kids of your age are treated in all the place I've visited", she continued. With nothing further to add, she continued walking in the same direction they were heading earlier.

Several more awkwardly silent minutes followed until Akira spoke up, "How do you plan to rescue your mother?"

"Good question", Jenny answered, "haven't really thought about it. Don't really plan too much, just charge in and hope for the best", she paused briefly and chuckled, "kinda runs in the family actually".

"Maybe we can help", Kiko walked briskly to catch up with Jenny, "you seem familiar with Ninjutsu so you wouldn't hold us back too much".

A loud exclamation rang out from her two older sisters at the display of rudeness but Jenny just shook it off, "You've got spunk I'll give you that", she chuckled, "but I do have a confession to make, my Ninjutsu skills aren't what they used to be".

"You seemed to know what you were doing earlier", Suzuka shrugged. Jenny frowned and replied the earlier skirmish back in her mind. The way she dropped that guard without breaking a sweat, it was like the old Jenny was back. She wished she had remembered what triggered that flash of knowledge and recollection, it would come in very useful now, "Perhaps we can help you rediscover your lost talent", she added with a small smirk.

Jenny shuddered slightly at the expression on the teens face, like she was going to enjoy sparring with the Time Lady in the near future, "I've tried almost everything else so sure, how long until we get to your camp?"

"You're standing in it", Akira opened her arms out. Jenny looked around, there were around twenty rudimentary wooden shelters propped up against the trees. A small fire was in the middle of the settlement with various cooking implements dotted around the shelters. What shocked the Time Lady the most was the squalid condition of the camp. A vague attempt had been made to keep the place tidy but they were essentially camping in the woods and probably had been for months, "We have been here since Masato evicted all the women", Akira confirmed.

Slowly a few nervous faces began to appear from the shelters, women of all ages from elderly women to children far younger than Kiko. When Masato said that all women had been evicted from his village he meant everyone, including the children, "We act as the protectors of our camp", Kiko added, "and continue the struggle to reclaim what's rightfully ours".

Jenny's blood began to boil as a small child no older than four waddled out in a dirty and torn set of clothes. The confused look on the child's face broke the hearts of the young Time Lady. She wouldn't allow their suffering to continue, not if she had anything to do with it. "We're getting you back into the village", she said quietly, "did you hear that", she said with a much louder voice, "I promise that you will return to your homes". She knew The Doctor could handle herself for little while longer, the women of this camp needed her more right now.


	21. 4: Inspirational Power Chords

_Chapter 4 – Inspirational Power Chords_

Across the forest, The Doctor leaned back on one of the wooden support beams that constituted her holding cell. It wasn't really a prison more like someone's home that Lord Masato had commandeered for the task. The building was a single storey, built out of wood with the traditional Japanese sloping roof. Inside the walls were lightweight, made out of wood and bamboo. The Time Lady had been escorted to her prison by three guards and she could just about make out their shadows on the other side of the door.

The journey through the village had been far from pleasant for The Doctor. Lord Masato and his men almost went out of their way to parade her through every single street. The Time Lady could feel every single pair of eyes focused solely on her. The burning hatred rolled off the men of the village in waves, threatening to overwhelm the raven haired woman. She could feel all of their thoughts and none of them were particularly friendly. Some were downright disgusting and it would take some time to purge them from her brain.

Unsurprisingly the village itself felt a little empty without the women. Most of the houses were similar in construction to the one she was currently in. There was a lone multi-storey pagoda at the northern end of the village which she suspected belonged to Lord Masato himself. None of the men had spoken to her and The Doctor decided not to test their patience. Something was wrong with the occupants of the village and she didn't want to push them too far without knowing the cause.

The more pressing issue for The Doctor was the welfare of Jenny. After that initial burst of panic through their link, none else had come through from the younger Time Lady. The silence was bothering The Doctor, she knew that Jenny was alive but she didn't know why her daughter was limiting her mental traffic. Her telepathic control had grown in the few days she had been on the TARDIS but not to that level. Whatever Jenny's current situation, she was dedicating her full concentration to that.

With nothing further to do, The Doctor sat cross legged on the floor and quietly meditated. Closing herself off from the mental traffic floating around the village would help her find the answer to their behaviour. She was struggling to achieve full concentration though, the rope that the guards had used to tie her hands together behind her back was irritating her skin. The answer to this mystery was dangling in front of her but she couldn't reach out and grab it, either mentally or physically.

The Doctor wasn't sure how long she had been meditating before Lord Masato decided to grace her with his presence. The Lord had been in the room for a least a minute but the Time Lady refused to acknowledge him. She resolutely sat there with her eyes closed until someone tried to grab her attention by clearing their throat, "I know that you're there", she grumbled, "and it's really interfering with my concentration".

"Our Lord will not be spoken to in that way", one of the guards snapped and roughly pulled The Doctor to her feet.

In response The Doctor opened her eyes and glared spitefully at the guard. Her dark brown eyes clouded over with contempt for the man and she struggled to keep a lid on her anger, "I will speak to his Lordship however I see fit", she whispered coldly. A shiver went down the guard's spine as the full fury of the Oncoming Storm threatened to wash him away. His pride wouldn't allow him to back away but at the same time, he wanted to get as far away from this woman as possible.

"Daigo", Lord Masato called out, "stand guard outside", he looked at the other two guards in the room, "All of you, wait outside". The guards almost wanted to disagree but their obedience to their Lord overrode any concerns they might have. Slowly they retreated to the corridor, sliding the door closed behind them. "I am almost impressed", Masato continued, "not many people are able to intimidate Daigo, let alone a woman".

"Trust me Lord Masato that was just the tip of the iceberg", the Time Lady held her head high, refusing to show deference to this man, "shall we skip the idle chatter part of our conversation and move directly your threat".

"Threat?" Masato chuckled, "what makes you think I'm here to threaten you?"

The Doctor shrugged, "That's how this usually goes, I get captured, bad guy threatens me with torture or a painful death before I escape and foil their evil plot".

Masato didn't respond straight away, instead he took a couple of moments to inspect his opponent. He had allowed her to keep the coat made out of a material that he couldn't identify after thoroughly searching the pockets. He found nothing of significance other than a round object on a piece of string that the woman called a 'yo-yo' which she swiftly snatched back and claimed she had been looking for it for years. The coat wasn't the only unusual thing about her attire though, "Your appearance suggests woman yet you act and dress like a man", he asked curiously, "to me that suggests you're used to power and you also call yourself a doctor-"

"Not a doctor", the Time Lady interrupted, "The Doctor, capital T".

"Quite", Masato wasn't amused by the interruption, "tell me Doctor", he spat her name out, "what sort of place allows a woman to be a doctor?"

The Time Lady's lips twisted into a smile, like someone had just told a joke. A few moments later she gave her answer, "Freedonia".

The Lord of the village glared at the woman, still no closer to figuring her out, "I have yet to decide if you are mocking me or whether you are completely insane".

"Bit of both", The Doctor replied with a light tone, shrugging her shoulders in the process, "there is a third option though".

"And that is?" Masato growled.

"That I'm completely serious", she replied coldly, "better creatures than you have tried to break me. You barely even break into the top hundred of the evil overlord list".

"Definitely insane", Masato rolled his eyes and turned his back on the Time Lady, "if you want a threat Doctor I have two for you. At sunrise you will be executed for your insolent nature but before then we will find that flame haired woman that you called your daughter. Once we do, my men will ensure that her death is slow and extremely painful".

Lord Masato was fortunately that he didn't turn around at that moment, otherwise he probably would've struck down by the look The Doctor was giving him, "If you harm her-" she growled.

"We heard your warning Doctor", Masato shrugged, "and I am choosing to ignore it", with that the doors slid open and her began to walk away.

"I don't give too many warnings any more", The Doctor shouted after the man, "consider this your final chance". Masato wasn't listening though and he continued to walk away. The guard identified as Daigo glared hatefully at the Time Lady before sliding the door shut, "Damn it", she spat, "I have to get out of here and warn Jenny".

" _No need",_ Jenny's voice suddenly echoed inside her head, _"heard every word"._

" _Jenny_ ", The Doctor exclaimed breathlessly through their mental link, _"I thought something bad happened"._

" _Some guards chased after me",_ Jenny said nonchalantly, _"nothing me and my new friends couldn't handle"._

The Doctor rolled her eyes, _"Please tell me you haven't gotten yourself into trouble"._

" _Nothing I can handle",_ she was a brief pause in the link but it wasn't too long before Jenny continued, " _sorry my Sensei was telling me off. Look I've got a plan and I'm coming to rescue you but I need to wait until its dark. Can you hold out until then?"_

" _Been in worst spots Jenny",_ The Doctor chuckled, " _I'm sure I can hold on for another few hours"._ Jenny didn't respond so The Doctor assumed that she had gotten the message. She was about to continue her meditation when a thought flashed across her mind, "Sensei? Jenny doesn't have a Sensei".

In the female camp Jenny surprise appearance had created a stir amongst the occupants. At first many of them were fearful of her, none of them had ever seen some of non Japanese origin before. Their concerns had been partially overcome by the small child that Jenny had laid eyes on. Using the girl's timeline as a guide, Jenny guessed that she was five years old. She knelt down to ensure that she was at the youngster level and gave her a warm smile. The girl tentatively reached out and started playing with Jenny's red hair, a shade that she never would have seen before. When she saw there was nothing to fear the young girl burst out laughing and allowed the young Time Lady to hug her.

With the ice broken Jenny soon became the centre of attention. Everyone bombarded her with questions ranging from where she came from to her strange choice of attire. It had taken a forceful Suzuka to push the inquisitive residents away from Jenny. In her usual blunt tone, the teenage ninja told her that training would start shortly. Jenny smiled in response, not knowing what she was about to let herself in for, "Again", the teen barked, stalking away from the fallen Time Lady.

Jenny slowly rose to her knees, pushing some loose strains of hair away from her face. Her jeans were muddy from the number of times she had been thrown to the ground. She had dispensed of her jacket, allowing an excited Kiko to wear it. The consequence of this was that her now bare shoulders had taken a pounding from the small twigs and branches that littered the floor, "Yes Sensei", Jenny muttered as respectfully as she could.

Student and teacher stood opposite each other in a makeshift circle and bowed to each other. Jenny bounced on the balls of her feet and held up her guard. She ducked underneath a punch from Suzuka, allowing her the chance to kick at the back of her knees, "Good", Suzuka praised the Time Lady but still kept her attention on the battle. The teen feigned a kick at Jenny, hoping to draw her in too deep. The tactic worked and Jenny fell for the dummy completely, allowing Suzuka to wrap her arms around Jenny's throat. A swift, sharp tug later she released the hold, "Now you are dead", she shrugged and slowly backed away.

Jenny groaned loudly in frustration, "I can't do it", she kicked at the dirt and placed her hands behind her head.

"You are too focused on what you cannot do instead of concentration on what you can do", Kiko offered up some assistance from the sideline. Despite her frustration Jenny couldn't help but smile at the young girl's appearance. She looked completely swamped in Jenny's blue leather jacket.

"How did you three get so good anyway?" Jenny asked, "you must've been training for years".

"Of course we have", Suzuka snapped, "you do not acquire these skills without hard work and perseverance". She looked down slightly on her 'student', "I am questioning if you ever knew the ninja arts".

Jenny didn't respond to that thinly veiled attack mostly because Suzuka had struck a nerve. Unlike the girls, she hadn't needed to train hard. All of her skills had been coded into her DNA from the moment she was created. Maybe her original incarnation had been a fluke, perhaps her Time Lord DNA had overridden the design of the progenation machine, "Do you have anything to lose?" Akira suddenly called out. Jenny slowly turned her head in the middle siblings direction, "It is amazing how focused the mind can be when it knows it has something to lose".

The Time Lady thought about these words and those of Kiko as she returned to her starting position. Her little burst of ninjutsu on the guard had been the result of an emotional response, the desire to protect herself and The Doctor. Until now she had been focusing on gaining back what was lost rather than truly testing what she still knew. Once again she bowed to her Sensei but this time, she waited for Suzuka to make the first move. The teen's mouth turned upwards slightly and immediately went on the attack. To everyone's surprise Jenny blocked every attack, pushing them away with a skill that the villagers hadn't seen from her before.

To begin with Jenny was shocked, all of her training battles on the TARDIS hadn't felt like this. She felt like she was moving on auto-pilot, allowing her limbs to recall techniques that were buried deep in the back of her mind. Defending was alright but now she really needed to go on the attack. Mentally grabbing the suppressed memories Jenny kicked out at Suzuka, catching her in the stomach. As the teen stumbled backwards, the Time Lady leapt into the air and caught the teen on the face with a spin kick. Suzuka crashed to the ground and an audible gasp rang out from the gathered crowd, "Oh my God, are you alright", Jenny said automatically and rushed to the teen's aid.

Suzuka was crouched on the ground, breathing deeply from the fight. She saw Jenny approaching and instinctively rolled on the ground, trying to catch the leg of the red haired woman. To her shock Jenny gracefully backflipped away from the attack, landing safely on her feet, "I stand corrected", she said, slowly dragging herself to her feet, "There is hope for you after all".

Jenny looked down at her clenched fists and smiled, she was back in business. She turned her hand over and beckoned towards her Sensei, "Again", she smirked. She had a few more hours until sunset to train and she planned to use them all.

 _ **A/N -** What followed that chapter was a 1980's style training montage, probably with some song by Journey, Survivor or Kenny Loggins playing over the top. Actually the chapter title comes straight from the Buffy episode "Once More With Feeling" when Giles is talking about training montages and inspirational power chords. Next time, the rescue attempt. _


	22. 4: Kung Fu Fighting

_Chapter 5 –Kung Fu Fighting  
_

Night had fallen over the village and the only source of illumination came from strategically placed candles inside the houses. The Doctor had barely moved since her conversation with Lord Masato, favouring a seated position on the floor. Her hands were still tied together but the Time Lady had taken advantage of her biology to manoeuvre them in front of her body. She had managed to remove her boots and they were placed neatly next to her legs. If there was one thing the Time Lady hated, it was sitting around and waiting. She trusted Jenny to complete her rescue mission but that didn't stop her from feeling extremely restless.

The period of quiet reflection allowed her some time to focus on the mystery surrounding the village. The entire atmosphere was soaked something very tangible that the Time Lady had nicknamed a 'negative energy field'. She considered the name to a little uncouth but for the time being she couldn't come up with anything better. The villagers were being attacked by an unidentified agent that affected them both biologically and neurologically. Her own telepathy was being blocked by the field so she couldn't integrate herself fully. The energy field was so complex that she wouldn't be able to unravel it without the power of the TARDIS. Firstly though she needed to determine the source of the influence, that was something that was eluding her despite her best efforts.

Her cell was poorly lid, clearly Lord Masato didn't set aside much of his budget keeping his prisoners comfortable. There was a candle in the distance which permutated through the thin paper walls. The Doctor's eyes suddenly flew open, the source of light was getting brighter. Someone was approaching her cell and she could sense that they weren't friendly. The light stopped just outside the door and the cell door gently opened. The Doctor was expecting to see Lord Masato, instead though she was greeted with the sneering face of Daigo, "Greetings heathen", he greeted quietly.

The Time Lady sat up a little straighter at the sight of the guard, "Oh it's you", The Doctor replied with a flat tone, "I thought I scared you off last time".

The Doctor settled back into a slouched position, expect this to be the end of their conversation. She wasn't expect Daigo to practically pounce on her, crouching down and grabbing her roughly around the throat with one hand, "Lord Masato may tolerate your insolent but I don't", he hissed smiling at the Time Lady struggled against his powerful grip. Slowly but surely she was hauled to her feet until Daigo could look her directly in the eye, "It's a shame your execution is tomorrow because you're quite easy on the eye", he leered.

"If I wasn't being strangled right now I would thank you", The Doctor was barely able to gasp. Daigo had almost forced her against the wall but the Time Lady was able to prevent this with one of her feet. She was in a precarious position right now, she couldn't afford to lose the small amount of leverage she had, "Would your Lord be happy to know that you were here without his permission?" she asked, trying to buy herself some time.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him", Daigo chuckled and pushed The Doctor roughly against the wall. He released his grip and took a couple of pace right and removed his heavy black cloak that hung across his shoulders, "Besides, he allows us to have some fun with the prisoners before they face the executioners blade". He inched towards her, tugging at the waistband of his trousers with a lustful glint in his eye. The Time Lady swallowed slowly, trying to push her rising fear down as far as it would go. She allowed it to be overtaken with her disgust for this man and the power he thought he wielded over the helpless. The Doctor didn't want to think about the number of women that had been taken advantage of by Daigo, instead she resolved not to give him any satisfaction.

Before the guard could commence his assault, a loud cry echoed off the narrow walls, "Demons", came the exclamation from the other guards. Daigo was momentarily distracted, giving The Doctor just enough of an opening. She took one big step forward and drove her knee straight into Daigo's most sensitive area. The man let out a loud cry and immediately doubled over in pain, a few tears leaking out of his eyes, "Let that be a lesson to you", The Doctor shook her head a couple of time, trying to smooth out her ruffled hair.

Suddenly the door burst open and another black cloaked figure entered. They were much smaller than the other guard and it took The Doctor a couple of moments to notice they were wearing a porcelain mask in the image of a fox, "Is this her?" the figure said. The mask distorted the voice but The Doctor was certain that they were female and quite young at that.

Moments later a familiar red hair stuck her head around the door frame, "Yeah that's her", Jenny greeted. She then looked down at the fallen Daigo, "What happened here?" she asked.

"Nothing", The Doctor replied bluntly.

Jenny frowned and noticed that the guard was devoid of armour and his heavy cloak. A thin top and trousers was practically underwear in this time period and the young Time Lady could see that his bottoms were in the process of being removed, "Was he about to-".

"Yes I believe so", her mother cut in front of her comment, "but he didn't that the main thing".

"You're being very casual about this", Jenny folded her arms across her chest, "aren't I allow to be a little concerned for your safety".

"I'm fine Jenny", The Doctor said impatiently, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself".

"Mum please", Jenny cried, striking the edge of the wall in the process, "I'm sorry, I could feel what was happening and I panicked", she added, her chest heaving deeply.

The Doctor stood motionless for a moment, she had been away from the company of other Time Lords for so long that she had gotten used to the psychic link again. She forgot that Jenny would be able to sense her emotions and probably felt everything that she was feeling. She bowed her head slightly but then she remembered what Jenny had called her, "You called me Mum", she said with a small smile, "I didn't think I'd hear you say that".

"Funny what a life or death situation will do for ones emotions", Jenny smiled in returned.

Suzuka stood just inside the room, feeling a little uncomfortable witnessing the scene in front of her. She was a little concerned for her sisters who were doing their best to distract the other guards. They wouldn't be able to keep up their tricks for long and she needed to evacuate quickly, "Sorry to interrupt but we need to leave", she said gruffly.

The young Kunoichi pulled out her dagger but The Doctor shook her head, "Don't need to be freed", she held up her hands that were now free from their binding, the piece of rope hung limply in her hand, "Harry Houdini taught me that one", she chuckled, "nice guy, if a little handsy, which was strange because I was the little guy with the umbrella at the time, bet that story never made his autobiography". She smiled at the slack jawed expression on Jenny's face, "Your old mother still has some moves left in her".

"I'm more annoyed that you could've broken out at any time", Jenny snorted.

"Ah but then I wouldn't have learned about the negative energy field surrounding the village", The Doctor pulled a face, "really need to come up with a better name for it". She shook her hands to brush that thought away, "Admittedly this perverted gentleman's antics weren't part of my plan but everything worked out well in the end".

"I see what you mean about respect Jenny", Suzuka groaned, recalling her first conversation with the young Time Lady, "less talking, more running", she added and hurried out the door.

The two Time Lady's didn't need to be told twice, quickly scrambling out the doorway and into the narrow corridor of the house, "I take it this is your new Sensei", The Doctor asked.

"Yeah she's been really helpful", Jenyn replied just as they reached the rear entrance to the property. The moment they stepped outside, they were confronted by three guards armed with swords. Jenny merely smirked, running straight at her target before baseball sliding straight into his knee. With the guard hobbling around, she kicking him in the back of his injured knee and followed this up with a hard kick to his jaw. With a sickening crack, the man crumpled to the ground, "See what I mean", she smiled.

The Doctor sighed, "Jenny you know how I feel about violence". The older Time Lady didn't get a chance to continue her thought as one of the other guard charge towards her with his blade ready to strike. The Doctor stood perfectly still until the last moment when she swayed to one side to avoid the attack. She repeated this manoeuvre another couple of times until she used the outside of her palm and chopped her attacker across the throat. With the guard struggling for breath, she grasped his wrist and applied a small amount of pressure which forced him to drop him sword. The Doctor smiled sweetly at the guard before tossing him over her shoulder. He hit the ground hard and his head bounced off the dirt, knocking him unconscious, "However, if the situation calls for it", she brushed her hands together.

"Tha-" Jenny stuttered, "you never told me you knew Venusian Aikido".

"You never asked", The Doctor shrugged, watching as Suzuka disabled her opponent. She took guard again as two more sets of footsteps approached, "Careful there's more of them coming", she warned.

"No", Suzuka shook her head, "those footsteps belong to my sisters".

The Doctor was about to ask who she knew this but was stopping in her tracks by the appearance of two more animal mask wearing figures, "Mum allow me to introduce the whole gang", Jenny began, "meet Suzuka, Akira and Kiko".

"Did they shrink in the wash?" the older Time Lady asked, "they're tiny".

"Size matters not", Kiko snorted, placing her hands on her hips.

"You should copyright that phrase", The Doctor smiled, "your ancestors would make a fortune out of George Lucas".

Suzuka groaned and shook her head, "Your riddles are more headache inducing than your daughters", she then looked at both woman, finally getting a good look at the older Time Lady, "you don't even look alike".

"Ah but it's what's on the inside that counts", The Doctor pulled out her sonic screwdriver and twisted the setting adjuster. She pressed down on the button and a low, gentle pulse was emitted from the device.

"What are you doing?" Jenny whispered.

"Remote control for the TARDIS", The Doctor replied, replacing the device in her pocket, "our route to freedom will be here shortly".

Jenny frowned, "So you could've used this at any time", The Doctor nodded, "why didn't you use it when we were lost the first time?" she added incredulously.

"We were ambushed in case you didn't notice", she shrugged, "couldn't allow the TARDIS to fall into the wrong hands". A breeze began to whip up around the village, "Ah, our carriage awaits". The TARDIS slowly materialised, much to the shock of the teenaged kunoichi. With a snap of her fingers the doors opened and the bright light of the console room lit up the dark street. Before she could cross the threshold, The Doctor's ears alerted her to trouble, "Quickly inside the TARDIS, we've got company".

The three natives looked hesitant but Jenny quickly ushered them along, "Look I know she's a little crazy", that drew a shout of indignation from the older Time Lady, "but least trust me". Jenny got everyone inside just as several heavily armed men burst into the clearing. To her it looked like the entire male population of the village had come out to capture them. She gave them a quick wave before slamming the door shut, "Might want to shift us into the vortex Mum", she called out, ignoring the three teenagers would were rooted to the spot in shock.

"Don't worry about them", The Doctor shook off her concerns, "the old girl's fended off tougher threats than a few angry men with swords". A loud banging noise came from the doors of the TARDIS, followed by several more. The wooden doors shook but didn't buckle under the relentless onslaught. The Doctor looked pensive for a moment before dashing around the console, "Second thoughts, better to be safe than sorry". She flipped one of the switches and the time rotor flared into life, dematerialising them from Lord Masato's village.

Once the groaning noise subsided, Kiko carefully removed her mask and took in every detail of the TARDIS. Neither she nor her sisters had ever seen anything like this before, even the usually stoic Suzuka looked astonished that such a place existed, "It's, it's", the youngest girl stammered.

"Bigger on the inside", Akira finished for her.

The Doctor smirked and pulled another lever on the console, fending off some steam in the process, "After all these years that still doesn't get old". She left the console, placed her hands in her pockets and stood next to her daughter, "Girls welcome aboard the TARDIS", she began, "it stands for-".

"Time and relative dimensions in space", Jenny finished with a smile. She briefly looked at her mother who looked annoyed that her moment had been stolen, "What?"

"That's my line", she hissed, getting a shrug of indifference in return from Jenny. The teenage Kunoichi suddenly dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in deference, "Now what are you doing that for?"

"The women who look younger than they truly are", Suzuka began, "this place, everything about you, this can only be the work of the Gods".

"We're not Gods", The Doctor replied with a deep sigh, "we'd make terrible Gods-".

"Speak for yourself", Jenny snorted.

The older Time Lady turned her body to face Jenny and placed her hands on her hips, "Can you stop interrupting me, I've been doing this much longer than you have". She shook her head in frustration and turned back to the teens, "Kids these days", she muttered, "you should be more like these little tykes. Oh you can stand up by the way, can't be too comfortable kneeling on the metal grating".

The sisters slowly and nervously stood up, "If you're not Gods then what are you?" Akira asked.

The Time Lady's looked at other before answering simultaneously, "Aliens".

"Aliens?" Suzuka asked and the two women nodded, "beings from another world?" again the Time Lady's nodded, "I do not believe you".

"So you'll believe we're Gods but not aliens?" Jenny responded with a raised eyebrow, "I'm sure Akira can validate everything we've told you".

The middle sibling paled slightly and nodded slowly, doubting her own power for the first time in her life, "If I didn't sense it, I wouldn't believe you". She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before asking her next question, "What happens to us now? Are you abducting us?"

"Good heavens no", The Doctor shook her head, "first thing you're going to do is get clean up, then we're going to help you liberate your village".

"Really?" Suzuka asked with a mixture of hope and disbelief.

"It's what we do", Jenny smiled in response, "there's an area where you can clean up down that corridor", she pointed to the living area of the TARDIS, "we'll be along in a few minutes". The teens nodded nervously, still unsure about the alien nature of their hosts, "Oh and Sensei", Suzuka stopped, "I want a rematch when you're ready". The oldest teen gave Jenny a cocky smile before leading her family into the corridor.

"Did you lose to a child", The Doctor chuckled, elbowing her daughter gently in the side.

"No", Jenny lowered her head and ran her hand through her hair, much to The Doctor's amusement. "They're good kids Mum, they're just trying to do what's right".

"Yes I know", The Doctor sighed and leaned against the console, "and that's what's bothering me".

Jenny folded her arms across her chest, "If it's about the violence, they haven't killed anyone. Their rebellion is more about annoying and frustrating Lord Masato than anything".

"That's not what's bothering me", The Doctor paused briefly, "well it is but there's something bigger going on here". Jenny looked puzzled so the older Time Lady continued, "Surely it's not a coincidence that the men of the village get affected by a negative energy field-".

"Horrible name by the way", Jenny shook her head.

"I know, I'm working on it", she frowned in annoyance, "and interrupting again", she snapped. She groaned and massaged her temples, "Where was I, ah yes, so the men get affected by the negative energy field and the only resistance is three teenage girls". She opened her arms slightly before placing them back in her pockets, "Something doesn't smell right".

"Well bathing isn't particularly common in this century from what I understand", Jenny shrugged.

"No I mean something about this situation literally smells", The Doctor sniffed the air, "the energy field is emitting a faint odor. The village reeked of it and so do those girls".

Jenny looked down the corridor and back to her mother, "You think whatever's affecting the men is also affecting Suzuka and her sisters?"

"Might be something as simple as cross contamination", The Doctor paused and bit her lip, "but we won't know for sure until we've run a few tests". She retrieved her sonic screwdriver and tapped it against her temple, "But discretely, we don't want to alarm then unnecessarily". Jenny nodded in agreement but the Time Lady's weren't aware that someone was watching them. Suzuka eyed the pair cautiously before retreating back into the corridor to find her sisters. She would have to inform them about this latest development.


	23. 4: Struggles Of Conscience

_Chapter 6 – Struggles Of Conscience_

It had been a long time since The Doctor had to entertain children onboard the TARDIS. Since the Time War, she had a general rule of only taking companions who were older than eighteen. She didn't want to risk exposing them to similar horrors that she had experienced during that time. Even without this self imposed rule, she had very rarely taken children onto the TARDIS. Off the top of her head only Ace and Adric fitted into that category. For different reasons, neither of them were your typical human teenagers. One had been swept into the future by a time storm, forced to mature quickly to survive in her new environment and the other was a genius with one of the highest IQ's ever recorded.

None of the three teens that currently occupied the TARDIS could be classed as normal either. Things were a little different in the seventeenth century, there wasn't an adolescent period for this generation. Truthfully it was unusual for someone of Suzuka and even Akira's age not to be married. The Doctor had posed this question to the sisters but none of them were willing to answer. The older Time Lady noted curiously that the younger sisters visibly held their breath and glanced at Suzuka, waiting for her to answer. The oldest Kunoichi merely snorted and brushed the question off, attempting to turn the question back onto The Doctor. A minor argument had broken out between the pair which saw the teen stomp off to another part of the TARDIS. That was around an hour ago and she still hadn't reappeared. Something didn't feel right about the argument, from the brief period they had interacted The Doctor could tell that Suzuka was slightly impulsive and hot headed. Her reaction though was out of proportion with the line of questioning which just furthered her theory about the energy field.

The Doctor used this opportunity to run a few secret tests on the younger sisters. With Jenny acting as a distraction she scanned them as quietly as possible with the sonic screwdriver. It confirmed her suspicions that the girls were also being affected by the negative energy field, although not to the extent as the male villagers. The field was acting as a natural enhancer to whatever talents they already had.

The teens certainly were talented, easily hold their own in a two on one sparring match against Jenny. The Doctor had to smile as she watched her daughter on the training mat. Jenny had rediscovered her fighting talent and the older Time Lady had never seen her so happy. The training bout had started off competitively but had now descended into something a little more fun. The red haired Time Lady laughed loudly as Kiko jumped onto her back, allowing Akira to jab her playfully in the ribs, "Alright, I yield", she spluttered, "you fight dirty".

"We do what we have to in order to win", Kiko smiled broadly. The Doctor though frowned at the statement, she wondered just how far these kids would go, "Are you sure Suzuka will be alright wondering around in your ship Doctor?" the youngest sibling asked.

"Oh yeah she'll be fine", The older Time Lady brushed her question off, "the TARDIS won't let any harm come to her".

"You speak like your craft is alive", Akira replied. When The Doctor gave her a knowing smile, she gasped softly, "this gets more unbelievable by the minute".

"Does she have a name?" Kiko asked innocently.

The two Time Lady's briefly glanced at each other, "Er, yes she does", the raven haired woman began, not really sure if she should give the actual name of her craft. The Doctor paused and felt a slight change in the TARDIS's presence, "But your sister is coming back so I'll answer that later". Suzuka entered the room with a stern expression on her face, in her hand was a brown cloth bag, "Ah Suzuka found your way back them", The Doctor greeted but her smile soon faded when the expression on the oldest Kunoichi didn't change.

"Interesting ship you have here", she began, "I never knew that you had an armoury". She opened the bag slightly and pulled out a long bladed knife with a leather wrapped handle, "Nice craftsmanship, I have never seen anything like it before".

"Don't damage that", The Doctor pushed herself off the wall and slowly approached Suzuka, "that belonged to a very dear friend of mine".

Suzuka continued to inspect the knife, briefly checking her reflection in the polished surface, "And what happened to this friend of yours, Doctor?" she asked.

The Doctor went to open her mouth but she couldn't find the correct words to use. The knife belonged to Leela, quite where Suzuka found it was a mystery because The Doctor was sure that the warrior woman had taken all of her weapons with her when she left the TARDIS. Memories of the brown haired woman rushed to the surface, in many ways Suzuka reminded her of Leela. The pair were both quick to resort to violence, a little cold on the surface but there was so much more warmth underneath. "I don't know", The Doctor sighed, "she fought in a great war and knowing Savage she was probably on the front line at the very end".

The older Kunoichi placed the knife back in the bag and made a small noise of indifference, "Where were you two during this final battle", she asked with a cold tone, "you are two skilled warriors and yet you made it out in one piece".

"Don't you dare talk about things you have no comprehension about", The Doctor snapped. The angry tone of the Time Lady made the younger Kunoichi flinch but Suzuka stood her ground, "The Time War wasn't like the primitive battles of this century. Billions were killed across all of time and space, this wasn't a small backyard scuffle over a piece of dirt. It was a war to protect the very fabric of reality, can you comprehend that".

"Su, just let this go", Akira whispered.

"Let what go?" Jenny asked, "have I missed something?"

"You are just as bad", Suzuka spat, "I heard the two of you, secretly plotting to run tests on us".

"That's wasn't what it sounded like", The Doctor interjected. She could feel the atmosphere change the more worked up Suzuka got, it was like her emotions were feeding the energy field. "Something is affecting the men of your village and we think that you're affected too".

"We're just trying to protect the three of you", Jenny added, "this anger that you're feeling, its being amplified by the energy field".

"Stop confusing me with your alien terms", Suzuka bellowed and reached into the bag again. This time she retrieved several sticks with a long thorn on the end, "Your ship was kind enough to identify these for me", she smiled, "these could be useful in our little crusade".

The Doctor's eyes widened and she slowly began to back away. Sensing her mother's distress, Jenny slowly moved in her direction, "What are those?" she asked.

"Janis thorns", The Doctor stated simply, keeping her eye on Suzuka at all times, "extremely poisonous to humans, fatal even to Time Lords".

"Don't touch them, gotcha", Jenny replied, "I don't fancy changing body's again, I'm just getting used to this one".

"I think you misunderstood me Jenny", The Doctor replied grimly, "when I said fatal I meant completely fatal. If we get stabbed with one of those then its game over, the toxin interferes and blocks the regeneration process". Knowing the true extend of their danger, Jenny shuddered and gave her full attention to the unstable teenager.

"Suki-sama", Kiko snapped, truly afraid of her older sister for the first time in her life, "please see reason".

"Listen to her Suzuka", The Doctor added with her best soothing voice. She had subtlety reached for her screwdriver in the last couple of moments, "I can block the field and that should return everything to normal".

"Lies", Suzuka roared and lunged for the Time Lady's. Two things happened at the same time, firstly The Doctor activated her screwdriver which neutralised the field. The second thing was perhaps the most shocking, Kiko leapt protectively in front of the Time Lady's. Suzuka's eyes widened in fear but she didn't have enough time to divert her attack. The Janis thorn sliced through Kiko's robes just underneath her armpit, "Kiko-chan", Suzuka cried and immediately let go of the thorn. It remained lodged in her youngest sister's robes, dangling loosely in the fabric.

Suzuka's eyes moistened, fearfully that she had killed her baby sister. Akira reached out with a shaky hand and attempted to remove the thorn, "Don't touch it", The Doctor snapped, "it's not broken her skin so she will be fine but we can't afford one false move".

"But you said it was deadly", Suzuka sniffed, soundly like the young woman she truly was rather than the powerful general she tried to portray.

"I did but only if it's broken the skin", The Doctor quickly scanned the thorn and the affected area, "it's tangled up in the robes so I'm going to cut away the fabric", she glanced into Kiko's eyes, the young girl was close to tears, "I need you to hold still, can you do that sweetie?" Kiko nodded and with one swift swipe of her screwdriver a large chunk of her robes fell away, taking the thorn with it.

Kiko released the breath she was holding and immediately fell into her oldest sisters arms. Suzuka wrapped her arms around the young girl, begging her forgiveness for her action. The Doctor meanwhile carefully picked up the thorn and moved it out of harm's way, "Thank you Doctor", Akira stated on behalf of the sisters, "you saved her life".

"A life that I put in danger", Suzuka growled, furious with herself and her actions. She had dedicated her life to protecting her sisters but she was nearly the one that killed Kiko. If anything had happened to her baby sister, she never would've been able to forgive herself.

"Your anger towards me has abated, correct?" The Doctor asked. She didn't really need to ask, she could feel the difference in the atmosphere compared to a few seconds ago but it wasn't polite to read other people's emotions without their permission.

"I-I don't know what came over me?" Suzuka stated, "it was like something was controlling my actions".

"That's the energy field", The Doctor stated calmly, "it messes with the emotions and behavioural responses". She pointed at the younger siblings, "The two of you have only been slightly affected but big sister", the Time Lady quickly scanned her with her screwdriver, "apparently has been exposed to a fractionally higher dose but nowhere near the level of the males in the village".

The three teens looked scared, not completely understanding what the dark haired woman was trying to say. Jenny rolled her eyes and the lack of bedside manner from the woman that called herself The Doctor, "What Mum's trying to say is that you're not in any danger", she quickly glanced at her mother, "right?"

"Not in any danger?" Suzuka cried, "I tried to kill my sister".

"Technically you were trying to kill me", The Doctor held up her hand, only earning her a glare from Suzuka, "right, not much better". She took a deep breath and thought of the best way to explain, "The men in the village are being completely controlled by the energy field, everything about their actions has been programmed by whoever is responsible. The three of you are different, you've only been lightly exposed. Your actions are entirely your own except apparently when you're experiencing an extremely emotional response".

Jenny nodded slowly, just about understanding what The Doctor was trying to say, "The fight in the village raised your adrenaline, your emotions were so high that it created a snowball effect. You were angry that we didn't tell you about the tests, then the argument further raised your angry levels. By now I suspect that you were so angry with us that the energy field closed down the logical area of your brain and caused you to lash out against us". Jenny crouched down until she was at Suzuka's level, "That wasn't you, I know you care deeply about your sisters and the women in your village. I forgive you and I'm sure that Mum does as well", The Doctor nodded in agreement with her daughter.

Suzuka nodded occasionally during the conversation, still not fully understanding the words that came out of the Time Lady's mouths. She fully understood the final part of Jenny's speech and felt the sincerity behind her words, "Thank you", she bowed her head, "I am in your debt".

"Nonsense", The Doctor offered her hand, "don't believe in debts, when you've lived as long as I have you tend to let a lot of them go". Suzuka chuckled softly and accepted The Doctor's hand and slowly pulled herself to her feet, "Now I know that I can dampen the energy field, I can do that to the entire village but I'll need your help".

"Just name it", Suzuka said quickly and her sisters backed her up.

"Go get some sleep", The Doctor pointed towards the exit, "then we'll talk about a plan". The teens groaned but reluctantly trooped out of the training room, "Just follow the TARDIS lights, they'll point the way", she called out. Once they had left and she was certain no one was eavesdropping, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Jenny, "Well, that was exhilarating".

Jenny snorted, "Yeah, can't have enough near death experiences for one day", she stated sarcastically. "I'm going to lay down for a bit as well, you coming?" she added.

The Doctor shook her head, "Nah I'm going to tidy up in here first, don't let me keep you up".

She couldn't put her finger on it but something was troubling The Doctor. Maybe the threat of getting impaled on a Janis thorn had shaken her up more than she was letting on, "Alright", she said slowly, "night Mum".

With Jenny out the room, The Doctor sat down on the mat with a thud. She laid down flat and placed her hands over her face, trying to suppress a feeling of self loathing that was threatening to overwhelm her. Winding the clock back to the conversation with Jenny in the console room, she was acutely aware that Suzuka was listening in to them and could feel the change in the energy field around her. Acting on a hunch, she goaded the oldest Kunoichi into an argument in an attempt to find out the frequency of the field.

Her plan had worked too well as it turned out, she got the reading she needed but the consequences could've been fatal. Fortunately she had long since neutralised the poison in the Janis thorns. She kept them as a memento of Leela but thought it prudent to make them safe, just in case she accidentally pricked her finger. Suzuka didn't know that though and she would probably carry the memory of nearly killing her sister with her until the end of her life.

The Doctor considered telling everyone but she didn't believe it would ease Suzuka's conscience. Perhaps the older Time Lady was too ashamed that she had manipulated the situation to allow the truth to come out. "Some things will never change", she groaned, no matter the outward appearance, The Doctor always had to be in control of the situation, the ultimate puppet master. She promised herself that things would be different in this regeneration but the Time Lady just couldn't help herself and for that, she hated herself more than anything else in the universe could.

It would be several minutes before The Doctor summoned up the strength to move from her prone position on the floor.


	24. 4: The Path To Forgiveness

_Chapter 7 – The Path To Forgiveness_

An exhausted Suzuka stumbled into the TARDIS console room a few hours after she had retired to bed. The teenage warrior tossed and turned but sleep just wouldn't come for her. She kept thinking about how close she had come to seriously injuring or killing her youngest sister. Even though Kiko had completely forgiven her, Suzuka still couldn't shake off the guilt. Realising that she wasn't going to get any rest, she rose from her bed and tried to find the one person that seemed to understand how she was feeling, "You cannot sleep either?" the teen couldn't see around the central console but she knew that The Doctor was there.

"I don't need to sleep as much as humans do", the Time Lady replied. She stepped around the console and placed her sonic screwdriver on the surface. Suzuka frowned slightly, the woman was wearing a pair of oversized white framed sunglasses on her face. The Doctor perched the glassed on top of her head and smiled weakly at the teen, "Don't mind the glasses, just doing a few running repairs to the TARDIS". She pointed at the glasses, "Audrey Hepburn gave me these, don't really like them myself but they make excellent eye protection when I'm soldering". She chuckled to herself and removed the glasses completely, "And you have no idea what I'm talking about", she sighed.

"Sorry Doctor", Suzuka folded her arms across her chest, "I guess I must seem uneducated compared to someone like Clara".

Before the teen could react, The Doctor quickly crossed the floor and firmly placed her hands on her upper arms, "Don't sell yourself short", she said firmly, "you've trained your two younger sisters to protect the other villagers. Others would've simply rolled over and accepted their fate but not you, that's what makes you strong".

"Yes but you said that was down to that energy field", the teen sighed, "what would I be without that?"

"I don't know", The Doctor stated, surprising the Kunoichi slightly, "why don't you tell me, you must remember life before this all started?"

Suzuka's shoulders relaxed in the Time Lady's grip and she let out a sigh of defeat, "I am not sure what I was", she began, "I am the oldest daughter in my family, the only thing I should have been trained for is marriage". The Doctor nodded, there wasn't too much room for ambition amongst teenage girls in the seventeenth century. "My father was disappointed that he had three daughters. He was a brave warrior but with no male heirs he was not able to pass on his knowledge".

"I'm sorry for your loss", The Doctor said with sympathy, "but I'm guessing that didn't stop him teaching you something".

The teen smiled to herself, recalling a long forgotten memory, "Father was not your traditional ninjitsu master, he believed that women could be just as effective as men if not more so". The Doctor couldn't disagree with that, in fact women had a couple of major advantages over men in this type of environment. Firstly they were more likely to be underestimated, the universe was chauvinistic by nature and many culture would accept that a woman could be just as dangerous as a man. That led onto the second advantage which was also the male gender's greatest weakness, a beautiful woman could easily manipulate any man. She smiled and recalled Romana saying something similar during their first adventures together. The Time Lady was certainly much more effective at getting information out of people than the scarf wearing Doctor of the time, "Something amusing Doctor?" Suzuka asked.

"Just recalling something an old friend told me", the Time Lady replied, "you remind me of some of my past companions you know".

"Really?" Suzuka blushed slightly, "is the future much different for women?"

The Doctor sighed, "In many ways yes but not so in others", was her cryptic response, "several hundred years into your future, female warriors are more commonplace which makes you a trailblazer".

Suzuka slapped the Time Lady lightly on the arm, "Please, cease with this constant praise". The Doctor smiled but there was a little bit of guilt behind the scenes. She had been the indirect cause of the anguish that Suzuka was feeling and she was desperate to make amends. If that meant flattering the girl then so be it, "Tell me about some other warriors that you have had on this ship Doctor", the teen continued.

"Well you've met my daughter", The Doctor placed her hands in her pockets, "then there was Leela, she was born many centuries from now on a distant planet".

"Another alien?" Suzuka asked.

"No human", The Doctor answered, "in the future humans explore the far reaches of the universe. Her ancestors crashed on the planet and essentially lived like savages", she felt a question coming from the young girl, "don't get me wrong, they were still highly intelligent but their environment forced them to do anything to survive". The Doctor paused for a moment, remembering the travels she had with the Seventeem warrior, "Leela was strong, intelligent and very quick with a blade but she was also capable of great compassion and logical reasoning".

"She sounds amazing", Suzuka smiled, "you said you do not know of her fate".

The Time Lady smiled sadly, "If I ever return to my home planet, it will be the first thing that I do". The saving of Gallifrey gave The Doctor hope that Leela survived, she was tough but unlike the Time Lords, she only had one life. If anyone could survive a Dalek onslaught though, it would be Leela, "There's one other that comes to mind", she quickly changed the subject, "her name was River Song".

"An unusual name for a woman", Suzuka frowned.

"She was an unusual woman", The Doctor smiled wistfully, "she was as quick with her tongue as she was with a blaster, she was passionate, caring yet also the most stubborn, infuriating, self-obsessed-".

"You loved her?" Suzuka stated with a confused look, "is that common in the future, two women falling in love?"

The Doctor snorted, "Anything goes in the future Suzuka", she decided to move on before she traumatised the girl with ideas she was far from ready for, "I was a different person when I loved River Song". The Time Lady stopped and bit her lip, did she still have the same feelings for River that the Eleventh Doctor did? If she was honest, The Doctor hadn't really thought about it much. She suspected that she hadn't seen the last of the woman though so it would be interesting finding out, "To answer your question, yes I did love her", The Doctor finally answered, "perhaps that suitor of yours won't object if you choose to continue down this route".

Instantly Suzuka froze at the mention of her would be husband, The Doctor could feel the conflict within the young woman. There was also a hint of surprise, Suzuka was sure how the Time Lady knew she was betrothed, "That's not what I'm worried about", she whispered quietly.

"Don't worry, we'll get Daigo back in one piece", The Doctor stated. Suzuka whipped her head around quickly, a look of astonishment on her face, "Oh so I was right", the Time Lady beamed, "I didn't actually know it was Daigo by the way, just a very lucky guess".

"You would still help me save him", Suzuka stuttered, "after what he nearly did to you?"

The Time Lady rubbed the teens shoulder in an attempt to reassure her, "Like I said, he has no control over his actions". She chuckled to herself, "I hope you didn't want children by the way, I really hit him hard in the", she nudged her head downwards a couple of times, "well you know where". Suzuka looked bewildered for a couple of moments before she broke out laughing. The Doctor too started laughing loudly and pulled the girl in closer for a hug.

"Sounds like you two are getting along better", Jenny announced as she entered the console room with Akira and Kiko close behind.

"We have found some common ground", Suzuka turned around and gasped when she saw her sisters, "what are you two wearing?"

"My robes were damaged so Jenny let me borrow something out the wardrobe", Kiko smiled. The two younger sisters were wearing something akin to a twenty first century special forces operative, black body suits complete with boots and utility belt.

The Doctor pinched the bridge of her nose, "Jenny, you can't give them these", she sighed, "this could change the course of human history".

"Don't worry we'll give them back", Akira smiled and threw something towards Suzuka, "there's one for you too", she added.

"We can't sneak in dressed in brightly coloured clothing Mum", Jenny pointed to her new outfit of black jeans and a dark long sleeved t-shirt, "I know you're attached to that jacket but I found something that could work for you". The red haired Time Lady tossed her mother a black leather jacket which she instantly recognised, it had been the one that the Ninth Doctor had preferred. The Doctor brushed the fabric in reverence, it would be a little long in the arms but at least she was wearing something familiar, "Do we have a plan Mum?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor hung her purple coat over the railing and slipped the leather jacket on, "Whilst you were sleeping, I think I've found the source of the energy field", she twisted the console monitor around where a crude map of the village was displayed, "everything appears to be coming from there".

"The central pagoda?" Suzuka frowned, "that is the most heavily fortified building in the village". She shook her head a couple of times, "A few years ago, a rival clan attacked the village and everyone sheltered inside", she added.

"They attacked for two whole days but never once breached the walls", Kiko added, "I was scared but at the same time I knew that no one would get inside".

"Why can't something ever be hidden in a rickety wooden shack", The Doctor groaned, "somewhere that's easy to get inside".

"But the sonic doesn't do wood", Jenny smiled cheekily.

"Don't be smart Jenny", the older Time Lady scolded, "even though several hours have passed for us, we could land the TARDIS seconds after we left inside the Pagoda. With the guards distracted looking for us, it will be our best chance". The others nodded in agreement, "Go get ready Suzuka, we'll be landing in a couple of moments", the oldest Kunoichi nodded and quickly scrambled to the back of the TARDIS.

When she had left, Kiko gently touched The Doctor on the arm, "Thank you Doctor", she smiled, "she seems much more at peace than she has been for a while".

The older Time Lady smiled, happy that at least she had managed to do something right today. She began to preparations for landing with Jenny quickly taking her own place at the console. With the co-ordinates set, the Time Lady flipped a switch but immediately the TARDIS was rocked by an unknown force, "That's not good", The Doctor cried as she tried to regain control of her ship.

"Something's trying to throw us off course", Jenny cried, frantically throwing a couple of switches in an attempt to stabilise their landing. The two Kunoichi grasped the railing of the TARDIS, desperately trying to keep their balance.

"What is going on?" Suzuka shouted over the noise inside the console room as she re-emerged from changing.

"The energy field around the pagoda is blocking our descent", The Doctor replied, twisting several valves in the process, "I can't hold her much longer", she smacked the top of the console with the palm of her hand, "hold on everyone, I think we're going to crash". Moments later, the TARDIS stopped with a massive crash, throwing everyone to the ground.

The Doctor groaned and rubbed the back of her head, "Not one of my best landings", she mumbled, "had worst though". She looked around and everyone appeared to be in one piece, "Anyone seriously hurt?" she asked.

"We are fine Doctor", Suzuka answered for her sisters.

"A few bruises but I'll live", Jenny added, "that's the third time your piloting skills have gotten us into trouble", she groaned, "are you sure you still remember how to fly your own ship?"

"Extenuating circumstances Jenny", The Doctor tried to brush her concerns off, "I think the subtle approach has failed, so be prepared for trouble the moment we step outside". The others nodded grimly and extracted themselves from the floor.

Leading the way, The Doctor paused at the door and placed her fingertips on the handle. She paused and thought about the group behind her, was she leading them all into danger? This was no time to second guess herself though, the exiled villagers needed their help. With a deep breath she pulled the door open and stepped outside.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	25. 4: The Hurt Locker

_Chapter 8 – The Hurt Locker_

 _ **Previously**_ _\- "A few bruises but I'll live", Jenny added, "that's the third time your piloting skills have gotten us into trouble", she groaned, "are you sure you still remember how to fly your own ship?"_

" _Extenuating circumstances Jenny", The Doctor tried to brush her concerns off, "I think the subtle approach has failed, so be prepared for trouble the moment we step outside". The others nodded grimly and extracted themselves from the floor._

 _Leading the way, The Doctor paused at the door and placed her fingertips on the handle. She paused and thought about the group behind her, was she leading them all into danger? This was no time to second guess herself though, the exiled villagers needed their help. With a deep breath she pulled the door open and stepped outside._

Taking a few tentative steps into the Pagoda, The Doctor carefully pulled out her sonic screwdriver and scanned the immediate vicinity. She frowned and double checked the readings to make sure they were accurate , "Nothing", she tapped the device against her hand, "not a single soul in the building". She tucked the screwdriver back into the pocket of her jacket, pushing the poorly fitting sleeves out the way.

"Not sure if that a good thing", Jenny added, stepping out the TARDIS with the three sisters close behind.

"It's different from what I'm used to", the older Time Lady replied. She turned slowly on the spot reaching out with her senses to try and locate any defenders, "We're definitely alone but I'm not sure how long that'll last". She turned back towards the teens, pressing her fingers together in a pointing motion, "We need to find the source of the energy field", she continued, "you three have been in here before, what's the most secure place you can think of?"

The teens looked amongst themselves, racking their brains for an answer to the Time Lady's question, "The armoury", Akira answered, "its where all the weapons are stored. The last time the invaders struck we hid in there for safety".

"Sounds perfect", The Doctor began, "fancy accompanying me on a little trip?" she asked Akira. The middle sibling hesitated before nodding slowly, "Don't worry, I'll make sure that no harm comes to you", she tried to reassure not only Akira but her sisters too.

"I will hold you to that Doctor", Suzuka said firmly, "what about the three of us, shall we stay here and guard your ship?"

The Doctor waived her hand dismissively, "Don't worry about the old girl", she pulled her out her TARDIS key out and quickly locked the doors, "nothing will break through her defences". Stuffing the key back into her pocket, she turned her attention back to her daughter and the other two Kunoichi, "As well as destroying the source of the energy field we will also need to neutralise the transmitter". She noticed Jenny frowning, clearly attempting to think of a solution, "Any idea where that would be?" she asked her daughter.

"Somewhere high", Jenny replied, "probably either in or on the roof".

"Precisely what I was thinking", The Doctor smiled with pride, "reckon you can keep these two out of trouble?"

"I think so", she rubbed the shoulders of the oldest and youngster siblings, "I'm sure that Akira will keep you out of trouble". Jenny smirked at The Doctor and didn't wait for her indignant response. She could see the ornately decorated central staircase straight in front of them. Without waiting for further instructions, she led her team towards the staircase and began the climb. "How many levels does this place have?" she asked the sisters.

"Five", Kiko answered confidently, "the top level is Lord Masato's private quarters, what you seek is probably there".

Jenny nodded in appreciation and the climb continued in silence for another couple of floors. The central staircase was covered with a red velvet carpet and from what Jenny could see through the gaps in the wall, the level of opulence rose the higher they got. She could feel the annoyance of Suzuka rising, the oldest sibling must've seen the decoration too, "You never came to the upper levels before?" she asked.

Suzuka shook her head, "The young are restricted to the ground and lower levels", she said bitterly. On level four she could clearly see some of the door frames lined with gold leaf. At the far end of the corridor she spied a couple of golden idols outside a larger set of doors, "The bedroom of Masato's mistress no doubt", Suzuka spat, "our village is hardly struggling but how can Masato afford this stuff?"

Jenny thought about this statement but she had no immediate answer for the teen. She wasn't an expert on the culture of the time like her mother was. To her it did seem rather ostentatious to have all this elaborate decoration when the normal villagers lived in simpler accommodation. That didn't mean that it was wrong of Masato, he had acquired the wealth to lavishly decorate his home. Jenny didn't feel like it was her place to judge, "Careful sister", Kiko warned, "this is treasonous talk". The red haired Time Lady smiled at the youngster sibling, she had a wise head on those young shoulders.

"I apologise Kiko", Suzuka said with a tone that implied she wasn't sorry at all, "but the last few months have opened my eyes to several things".

"But The Doctor said that the men had no control over their actions", Kiko tilted her head slightly.

"Oh Kiko", Suzuka sighed at the naivety of her youngest sister. She tried to remember if she was ever that ignorant of her surroundings, "This is not a new development, Lord Masato has been living like this since before we were born". Jenny had to shake her head at the cynicism of the teen ninja. Sure this system wasn't perfect but until recently, everyone had lived harmoniously. The way Suzuka was talking it was like she wanted to start a revolution as well as releasing the men from their mental impairment, "What do you think Jenny?"

The Time Lady was dreading that question and silently winced. She wanted to keep the teen onside but at the same time, she didn't want to kick start a revolution that wasn't meant to happen. Quite how her mother had walked this temporal tightrope for hundreds of years she had no idea, "I think you should be careful about rushing into changes", Jenny finally replied, "I was in a similar situation to you once", her voice trailed off as she recalled the memories of those few days.

The silence form Jenny continued until Kiko nervously asked, "What happened?"

"Let's just say the result wasn't what everyone was hoping for", Jenny replied bitterly. She had lived an entire life before meeting The Doctor again, some things she did needed to stay in the past and this was one of them, "We're here", Jenny changed the subject and pointed at the door.

The top floor of the Pagoda wasn't quite what they were expecting. Gone were the gold and jewel lined walls and in their place was something much simpler. The personal quarters of Lord Masato were more in keeping with the common villagers, traditional paper walls with light orange coloured floor and ceilings. "Perhaps there is some hope for the old man after all", Suzuka commented, her eyes scanning the floor.

"You are too quick to judge Suki-sama", Kiko chuckled, "even before our eviction, you were always the cynical one". Her older sister glared harshly but chose not to chastise the young teen. On reflection Kiko was probably right. With the death of their mother when the sisters were still young, Suzuka had taken on a parent role to the youngsters. This had only increased when their father died, leaving her as the sole parental figure to her younger sisters. She had given up her own childhood to make sure Akira and Kiko kept their. It was enough to drive anyone to cynicism.

Whilst this conversation was going on, Jenny too was casting her critical eye around the room. Unlike the Kunoichi she was looking for something that didn't belong in the personal quarters of a seventeenth century Japanese nobleman. Nothing obvious was standing out until she glanced up at the ceiling. There was a faint outline of a square in the roof which in her mind, looked like an access hatch, "Which one of these things is not like the other?" she chuckled softly and retrieved her sonic pen. A quick scan of the ceiling revealed that it wasn't made of stone or wood but metal.

"Find something?" Suzuka asked, looking up at the roof.

Jenny smirked and activated her sonic device, releasing the locks on the hatch. It swung downward on a hinge at the same time a metal ladder dropped down to the floor, "I think this can be classified as unusual", she stated, "I suspect it leads to the roof itself so space will be limited". She looked at Kiko and a bright smile appeared on the young girl, "If it's alright with big sister, you can come with me".

Suzuka spent a couple of seconds thinking about Jenny's request before reluctantly agreeing. Her temporary student had shown great aptitude and skill in the brief time they had known each other. If there was anyone who could keep her baby sister safe it was the red haired woman. She nodded slowly and the most she did, Kiko leapt onto the ladder and began to climb swiftly, "Hey come back, we don't know if it's safe", Jenny called out and raced to catch up with the young teen.

The young Time Lady's assessment of the space had been correct, it was extremely cramped. There would barely be enough space for her and Kiko to stand up. The young kunoichi hauled herself up into the room with Jenny very close behind, "Next time don't go running off", the Time Lady scolded the youngster, "anything could've been lurking in this room".

"But there was not", Kiko chuckled, "so I fail to see what the problem is", she added defiantly. Jenny grumbled under her breath, Kiko's natural skills had given her confidence, perhaps a little too much confidence. She didn't envy Suzuka, who would have to temper that youthful enthusiasm in the next couple of years. Charging into situations without knowing what dangers lurked around the corner was a recipe for disaster.

Shaking off her concern for the moment, Jenny looked around the crawl space. There was no obvious transmitter but she did notice a bundle of electrical wires leading upwards to the roof itself. She couldn't see any further access points to get outside so the only way to deactivate the transmitter would be to cut itself power source. There were several ways to achieve her desired result but since time was of the essence, she decided to take the 'brute force' approach. Grabbing the wires in her hand, she pulled hard and severed the connections. Electrical sparks shot out of the cables, drawing a cry of shock from Kiko, "Is everything alright?" the panicked voice of Suzuka cried out.

"Yeah", Jenny tried to sound reassuring, "Kiko was just a little surprised by something, that's all". With the transmitter hopefully out of commission, it would hopefully neutralise some of the effects of the energy field. From what The Doctor had explained they still needed to deactivate the primary source for everything to go back to normal. The transmitter was just an amplifier, reaching out to the fringes of the village. Everyone in close proximity to the Pagoda would still be impacted until the source was eliminated.

With their mission over, the trio decided not to linger in the upper levels. Dashing down the stairs as quickly as they could, they intended to meet up with The Doctor and Akira to help with the generator. Their plan was quickly thwarted when they reached the ground floor. Blocking their escape was Lord Masato himself, flanked by Daigo. In addition there were several guards blocking the exits to the outside as well as the lower level, "Well what do we have here", Masato began, "two children and the mystery red haired woman". He took a couple of paces towards the trio, "Tell me, did you have anything to do with the escape of our prisoner?"

"I will not tell you anything", Suzuka spat defiantly.

Masato snorted softly, "Daigo, do teach your betrothed some manners".

A manic look flashed across Daigo's eyes and he marched towards Suzuka. Jenny immediately stepped in front of the young girl, her eyes blazing with anger, "Touch one hair on her head and I will finish the job that my mother started", she hissed. Daigo stopped in his tracks and instinctively bent forward, "Yeah, that's what I thought".

"You won't get away with this little incursion", Masato stated, "what can you possibly hope to achieve?"

"Freedom", Suzuka raised her head, "the women of this village will be free to return once you have been deposed like the tyrant you are".

Lord Masato paused and stared at the teen, his lip curled in anger at the manner that she had spoken to him, "You will learn your place girl", he growled.

"I will not", Suzuka countered and a small smirk appeared on her face, "it must be an embarrassment, having your warriors defeated by the animal demons constantly". She took a step closer, "They are closer than you think", she whispered and took a step back.

Putting two and two together Masato growled angrily at the group. In a flash a small dagger appeared in his hand and he lunged towards Suzuka with every intention of slicing her open. The teen braced herself for the impact but the blow never came. A small figure darted in front of her protectively, taking the attack that was intended for her.

Kiko let out a little whimper as the dagger lodged itself in her side, hunching over at the point of impact. Masato quickly withdrew the blade and for a brief moment, it looked like he was genuinely remorseful. The youngest Kunoichi staggered backwards and into the arms of her older sister, "I am sorry, Suki", she gargled before she slumped to the ground.

Suzuka stopped her sister from hitting the ground hard and inspected her body for the wound. There was a deep puncture mark on the right side of Kiko's abdomen that was bleeding profusely. She placed her hand over the wound to stem the flow of blood but it was bleeding too quickly, staining her hands red. Suzuka's took a couple of shallow breaths before crying out in rage and grief, "Monster", she cried, "for this crime I will end you". She took up and marked her face using her sister's blood with a couple of lines just under her eyes, "I will avenge my sister", she added and took a couple of steps towards Masato and Daigo.

Jenny thought about stopping her but instead dropped to her knees next to Kiko. Scanning her with her sonic pen she could tell that the young girl was losing a lot of blood but the blade had somehow missed everything vital. Using some her military field medic programming, she used the pen to quickly cauterize the wound. It was a temporary measure and wouldn't stop all of the internal bleeding but it would buy Kiko time. She had to hope that The Doctor closed down the generator quickly before Suzuka tore her way through Masato, Daigo and the other guards. It would be pointless saving the village if there was no one left to populate it.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 _ **A/N -** Yeah another cliffhanger...sorry and I've threatened the life of the youngest ninja for a second time. Two chapters to go, next time it's the final battle but who will survive?_


	26. 4: They Will Always Win

_Chapter 9 – They Will Always Win  
_

Down in the lower level, The Doctor folded her arms across her chest and inspected the device she suspected of causing the trouble in the village. The design was very similar to the one from London that caused the temporal bubble except with four crystal tubes that stretched outwards in different directions. Inside the tubes there was a weird green liquid that periodically bubbled which the Time Lady couldn't identify. Taking a couple of steps towards the device she flicked the nearest tube causing the flow of the mystery liquid to accelerate. She followed the tube with her eyes and noted that it went directly into the ground rather than through the building.

The frown on her face deepened, this was yet another mystery to add to her mental list. The Doctor usually liked a good mystery but ones that put innocent people in danger, that was something she couldn't tolerate. Worst of all there was no visible clue to the perpetrators which prevented her from stopping this happening again. She could feel herself getting grouchy, maybe wearing the Ninth Doctor's jacket was causing some residual grumpiness to rub off on her, "Something bothering you Doctor?" Akira asked.

"Many things", she replied absentmindedly, "when mysteries keep piling up around me, I tend to get a little nervous". The Time Lady scanning the console with her screwdriver, like the device in London the technology was from the early thirty first century. The liquid inside was the biggest mystery, an unidentified chemical that had mind altering characteristics. Whoever this mystery assailant was they access to temporal technology as well as knowledge of engineering and biology. The list of suspects was getting smaller but not small enough for The Doctor's liking.

"I always find sharing my problems with someone I trust helps", Akira replied, "do you have someone like that?"

The Doctor paused and smiled, Jenny was an obvious choice but perhaps what this mystery needed was a different perspective, maybe a human one, "Clara", she sighed, "she would love getting her teeth into this".

Akira frowned at the tone of the Time Lady, it almost sounded defeatist, "Forgive me for being bold but what is stopping you from getting her help?"

A quiet chuckle came out of The Doctor's mouth, the inquisitive mind of a child was something truly beautiful to behold. She put Akira's question to one side to deal with the immediate problem of the mystery fluid. It would need to be drained and neutralised but she could stop any more from seeping into the ground. A quick blast from her sonic screwdriver sealed the pipes shut and the liquid ceased bubbling. The purpose of the transmitter suddenly became clear, just having the chemical in the soil wasn't enough. The mind altering properties had to be transmitted across the village. If it wasn't being used for nefarious purposes, The Doctor would almost be impressed with the ingenuity.

Confident that the village would soon be back to normal, the Time Lady turned her attention back to Akira. She was about to respond to her earlier question but when she turned around, the teen was doubled over in pain, "Akira", she grasped the girl by the shoulder, "speak to me, what's wrong?"

For a few moments Akira didn't response, her breathing was ragged and her eyes were unfocused. Eventually she began to calm down and was able to look at The Doctor, "Kiko", she gasped, "something's happened to Kiko".

The Doctor didn't need to hear anything else, she grabbed Akira hand and pulled her out of the room. The pair sprinted up the stairs which lead to the ground level but at the top, their path was blocked by two guards. Looking past the men The Doctor could see Suzuka and Jenny facing off against Masato and Daigo. There was a small mass of black just behind them which the Time Lady guessed by Kiko. Even from this distance she could sense that the young girl was alive but barely. She needed urgent medical care, "Kiko", Akira shouted, she was ready to fight her way to her younger sister if needed.

"Wait young one", The Doctor said with a firm tone, grasping her forearm in the process, "your sister and my daughter will handle this, there is no need to put yourself in further danger".

"But Kiko-" Akira cried.

"Is alive, that's all that matter for now", the Time Lady tried to reassure the teen. She briefly caught Jenny's eye and the firm look she got back from her daughter told her everything she needed to know, the young Time Lady was going to handle this her way. Jenny needed to know all the facts though, "Jenny", she called out, "we've taken care of business our end, just buy as much time as you can".

Lord Masato instantly recognised the voice and tilted his head towards the Time Lady, "Doctor, I see you didn't get far", he snorted.

"Hey, this fight is between us", Jenny reminded him, slowly raising her guard.

"Please dear, you would fight me", Masato chuckled. Enraged, Jenny thrust her leg outwards, catching Masato just above the knee. The Lord of the village dropped to the ground, coming to rest on his hands and knees. Daigo and the rest of the guards were about to come to his rescue but a quick hand gesture stopped them, "Not bad", he growled, "you've been practicing". Jenny brushed her hair away from her eyes and said nothing in response, "Take a look around you, virtually everyone in this building is on my side". Both Jenny and Suzuka had to acknowledge that he had a point but they wouldn't say it out loud, "There's nothing stopping me from ordering the guards to kill you and the rest of your party", he added.

"Yes there is", Suzuka spoke, "I challenge you to an honour duel", that drew a loud gasp from the gather crowd. "There are two of us and two of you, the winner gets control of the village", she added.

"Sounds like a plan Sensei", Jenny held her fist out in Suzuka direction expecting her to bump her knuckles. Unfortunately the teen from the seventeenth century didn't understand the gesture. Hiding the awkwardness of the situation, Jenny scratched the back of her head, "Well then big guy, what do you say?"

Masato and Daigo offered no verbal response, instead they leapt towards their opponents with a feral snarl. Daigo leapt towards Suzuka who fended him off with a swift swipe of her arm. Another volley of attacks were expertly deflected by the young Kunoichi, "You have been keeping secrets from me", the Captain of the guard snarled, aiming a vicious kick at the girl.

Suzuka didn't respond, instead she focused on keeping out of Daigo's reach. He wasn't as well trained in ninjustu as she was but he hadn't become Lord Masato's personal guard without good reason. What he lacked in skill he made up for with speed and strength, something that he proved moments later by grasping the girl around the throat. Suzuka struggled against his grip but she was able to choke out, "Please Daigo, you have to remember". A brief look of confusion flashed across his face was just the opening she needed.

The young Kunoichi landed a solid kick in Daigo's gut that forced him to release his choke hold. Before he had a chance to recover, she caught him across the jaw with a spinning kick that sent him tumbling across the ground. For a few moments Suzuka revelled in the victory before realising that her future husband could be seriously injured. Approaching the fallen man carefully, she kept her guard up as he slowly got to his feet. When their eyes met she noticed that Daigo's were full of confusion, "Su", he said hesitantly, "what's going on and why are you dressed like that?"

The teen looked down at her outfit from the future quickly beofre turning her attention back to the Captain, "Daigo, what do you remember of the last six months?" she asked, keeping her guard up.

Daigo went to respond but he had no answer, his mouth flapped open a couple of times before he stammered out, "I don't know", his hand began to shake, "I can't remember anything", he sniffed.

"Doctor", Suzuka called out, "whatever you did appears to be working".

The older Time Lady quickly scanned the guards, they were beginning to regain their senses and they were looking just as confused as Daigo. The only person who wasn't getting better was Lord Masato, his fight with Jenny was still going strong. She was about to march over but Akira stopped him, "Doctor this is an honour duel, entering on Jenny's behalf would get her killed". The Time Lady grumbled but reluctantly stood down, hoping that her daughter ended this soon.

"You are talented outsider", Masato grumbled, rubbed the side of his face. Jenny had struck him with her elbow, instantly drawing a bruise on his face, "that does not mean that you are invincible".

"I know what it's like to die", Jenny stated, "that's not something I wish to experience again". Masato attacked again with an axe kick but the young Time Lady backflipped out the way. Her unusual style was disrupting Masato's attack pattern, which was exactly what Jenny planned. It might be unfair using martial arts styles that wouldn't be invented for hundreds of years but this was a fight for her life, she was going to use whatever advantage she could get.

Staying low after her flip, Jenny launched herself at Masato's upper body and wrapped her legs around his neck. This was a technique known as the Titanian manoeuvre, more commonly used against opponents with thicker necks but the procedure was pretty much the same. Jenny squeezed tightly hoping to deprive the man's brain of oxygen long enough to render him unconscious. Suddenly she saw something gleam in the candlelight which was when she remembered the dagger Masato had. Quickly rotating her body she dropped herself down to the ground in a move derived from Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling. Masato's head was driven into the stone floor, knocking him unconscious.

Jenny took a couple of deep breaths, allowing the adrenaline to slowly wear off. Once she was able to sit up she immediately scrambled over to Kiko and scanned her with the sonic device. Her vital signs were fading and she needed medical help in the next few minutes if she was going to survive, "It's alright Jenny", she felt the gentle touch of her mother on her shoulder, "I'll take care of her from here".

"Is there something in your ship that could help her?" Suzuka asked The Doctor. The still confused Daigo looked at the teen like she was crazy, "I'll explain later".

"Good to meet the real you Daigo", The Doctor said as she gently lifted Kiko up in her arms, "I'm sorry for the low blow earlier, I'll give you something for the swelling once we're in the TARDIS". That comment only added to the confusion that the young man was feeling but the Time Lady was pleased to see that Suzuka was happy to have her future husband back. Once the mystery fluid had been drained from the basement, the village could get back to normal.

As the Time Lady walked towards the TARDIS there was one obstacle that The Doctor wasn't counting on, Lord Masato. The head of the village had woken up and was resting on his knees, "They told me this day would come", he began, "I did not believe them but", he shook his head, "here you are in my village Doctor".

"Pack it in Masato, the battle is over", The Doctor frowned, "perhaps you can tell me who you're working for". Masato chuckled dryly and picked his dagger up off the floor, "Masato, don't do anything that you're going to regret"", she added sternly. With Kiko in her arms she would be unable to defend herself against an attack and it was debatable if Jenny or the others would get to her in time.

Masato rolled the blade of his dagger in his hands a couple of times, chuckling coldly to himself, "You have no idea who you are dealing with". Before anyone could react Lord Masato drove the dagger into his chest, piercing his heart, "They always win Doctor", he gurgled with his final breath. He slumped face first to the ground, emitting one final death rattle.

The Doctor observed his body, almost frozen to the spot. This was the second person to mention this mysterious 'They', the people responsible for everything she had encountered since her regeneration. The Doctor couldn't bring herself to mourn the man, she didn't really know who he was. Whoever these people were tormenting her across space and time, they were ruthless and didn't care who was sacrificed in the name of their war against The Doctor. The Time Lady had more pressing concerns, ensuring the survival of the young warrior in her arms. Leaving the body of Lord Masato behind, she carried Kiko into the TARDIS. The least she could do was save the life of the girl, there would be plenty of time to brood on the events of today another time.


	27. 4: Stairway To Heaven

_Chapter 10 – Stairway To Heaven_

Even after all these year's humanity's ability to bounce back from tragedy astounded The Doctor. Just a few hours ago the village had been completely divided but thanks to Jenny's efforts, the women were quickly moving back in. Some were suspicious of the sudden change in the attitudes of the men, however, the majority were quick to accept their places back in the village. The Doctor didn't usually like sticking around for the clear up, this time though she made an exception. The chemical compound in the lower level of the Pagoda had been drained. The TARDIS was running an analysis of the substance which would hopefully give her some clues to the creators of the ghastly concoction.

The death of Lord Masato was unfortunate and added an unforeseen dilemma for the villagers. The Lord had died childless, leaving no obvious successor to his position. A solution would need to be found soon, otherwise anarchy could ensue. The Doctor wasn't too concerned about the political fallout, she had to figure out the identity of the puppet masters behind this scheme. Three times now they had put innocent lives at risk and if it wasn't for the Time Lady's intervention, their plan would've succeeded. They had also shown the ability to control and manipulate individuals to a level that she had only seen on a few occasions previously. These puppet masters were cunning, devious and above all, extremely dangerous.

Jenny returned to the TARDIS, only to find her mother hunched over the console. The mystery assailants were having a negative effect on the older Time Lady and Jenny could feel her pain only too well. The red head could only sigh helplessly, she was still getting to know her mother but she knew her well enough to know that The Doctor would only feel at peace when they stopped whoever was controlling these events. What Jenny could do is distract her mind so that the older Time Lady didn't dwell on them too much, "Everyone's out of the temporary village", she announced, "it'll take a while for things to get back to normal but it's a step in the right direction".

There was no response from The Doctor, her gaze was fixed at a blank spot on the console. Jenny gently bit her lip and moved a little closer to her, "We'll figure this out", she said softly, "two heads are better than one, right?"

"Yeah, course", The Doctor stretched her weary limbs and stood up straight. Jenny frowned, despite her mother's positive response there were still plenty of negative feelings under the surface. "Perhaps we should go check on the patient", The Doctor added, quickly changing the subject.

"No need", Suzuka called out from the rear doorway. He led Akira out of the corridor closely followed by a pale looking Kiko. The youngest sibling was shuffling towards the console, favouring the left side of her body, "Whatever you used to heal our sister", the oldest Kunoichi sniffed and gently shook her head, "we cannot thank you enough".

The Doctor smiled warmly, "Fifty seventh century healing pack", she replied, "it can heal pretty much any wound short of total decapitation". The Time Lady walked towards the sisters, stopping just in front of Kiko, "Perhaps this one will think twice before jumping in front of a sharp blade", she added with a chuckle.

Kiko gave the Time Lady a watery smile and threw her arms around the woman. The Doctor stood there awkwardly for a couple of moment before returning the hug, "Thank you Doctor", Kiko sniffed. The Doctor ruffled her hair slightly, this was the reason she was still travelling the universe, for moments like this. For a few minutes she could forget about lurking menaces setting traps throughout time and space. Today she helped save someone, that's all that mattered.

"What's the plan now Sensei?" Jenny asked with a cheeky smile, "there's a vacancy for head of the village I heard".

Suzuka face lit up with a bashful smile, "You think very highly of me Jenny", she blushed. "Maybe in your time women are accepted as leaders", she sighed loudly, "but even though we won the honour duel, I do not think the village is ready for that yet".

"Why not?" The Doctor began, "you've led those women out there for the best part of six months, you have proven credentials".

"We will see", Suzuka replied, "for now Daigo has been installed as temporary Shogun and if he chooses to ask for my assistance then I will willingly give it".

Before anyone else could speak, the console pinged loudly, "Ah the analysis of the chemical compound has been completed", she announced. The Doctor began pouring over the readings but with each sentence, her frown began to deepen. Even Jenny, who was reading over her shoulder, began to frown, "Ah this is not good", The Doctor sighed.

"Bad news", Akira said with alarm, "are there going to be permanent side effects".

The Doctor shook her head, "No, nothing like that", she answered, "the chemical was short lived so it will completely bio-degrade by the morning. The bad news is that the TARDIS can't recognise the chemical structure and without that, I've got no hope of tracking down who was responsible".

"I thought you knew everything Doctor", Kiko replied with a cheeky smile.

The older Time Lady chuckled, "I wish, if I knew everything then there would be no point in travelling". She quickly flicked through the readings again, hoping to find some good news, "It looks like the chemical was designed to attack the Y chromosome. By using radio waves to amplify the ambient signal produced by the chemical, it could override the neural impulses and you have no idea what I'm talking about", she trailed off, noticing the blank looks on the teenage warriors.

"All I care about is that we have our village back", Suzuka smiled, "perhaps life can return to normal for us now". She approached The Doctor and bowed from the waist, "Goodbye Doctor, please feel free to come back whenever you wish".

"I might just take you up on that offer", the Time Lady smiled and returned the bow, "and farewell to you two", she said to Akira and Kiko, "keep your big sister out of trouble".

"We will try Doctor", Akira smiled and turned to Jenny, "thank you too Jenny, we could not have done this without you".

Jenny bowed deeply, "You're most welcome and thank you too Sensei", she smiled at Suzuka.

"From what I saw during your fight with Masato, you know much more than I do", the oldest sister replied, "perhaps I should call you Sensei". With one final wave the three Kunoichi exited the TARDIS for the final time.

"Did you mean what you said", Jenny began, "can we come back and visit someday?"

The Doctor smiled and flicked a lever on the console, "I don't see why not, I can't keep you away from your teacher can I?" The Time Rotor began to groan and the time ship took flight, "Aren't you glad we came to this century now"? the older Time Lady asked.

"It was certainly fun", Jenny smiled, "but maybe next time we can land in the right place", she shrugged and gave her mother a cheeky smile, "just a suggestion".

"I thought you would say that", The Doctor grabbed her daughter by the hand and pulled her closer to the console, "that's why you're setting the co-ordinates. You can consider this your first proper flying lesson".

Jenny smiled broadly and stretched her fingers, "Alright I give it a try, where to Mum?"

A small smile appeared on The Doctor's face, "Earth, London specifically, January 2014 would be nice", she let out a deep sigh, "time to introduce you to Clara Oswald". Jenny nodded and began to frantically twist levels and knobs at the instruction of her mother. This should've been a happy occasion by the pilots of the TARDIS were still sub consciously thinking about the lurking puppet masters. Perhaps a happy reunion and in Jenny's case introduction, with Clara could alleviate their concerns.

Far away from the TARDIS, A groggy Lord Masato slowly got to his feet. He took a quick look around, taking in his new surroundings. He had woken up in the middle of a large garden, complete with stone water feature. The gentle tinkling of water was the only sound he could hear, indicating there was no other animal or human life in the vicinity. A further study of the garden revealed a stone structure in the distance, supported by several columns. The grass looked well maintained and was a lush shade of green. Most surprisingly the sun was high in the sky and shining brightly on the garden.

The last thing that Lord Masato remembered was fighting that red haired woman who called herself Jenny. After hitting the ground hard his memory was hazy until it was punctured by a sharp stabbing sensation. Instinctively he touched his chest expecting to find a stab wound. He was extremely relieved to see that his robes and body were completely unharmed.

More memories began to return from the last few months, again they were a little hazy but he recalled evicting all the women of the village. He couldn't began to understand how he came to that decision, everything he had done recently felt like it was being controlled by an outside force. He felt completely different here though, the fog had been lifted and he was thinking freely for the first time in a long time. "Good afternoon Sir", a bright male voice greeted Lord Masato, "I trust your death wasn't too unpleasant, I should warn you it will take you a few minutes to adjust to your new surroundings".

Masato slowly turned around and noticed a white male who appeared to be in his mid thirties. He had a curly mop of brown hair and was dressed in a grey three piece suit, "Who are you", he said cautiously, "and where am I?" Instinctively he reached for his dagger but to his shock, there weren't in his possession.

"Sorry should've warned you, no weapons are permitted here", the male replied, "trust me no harm will come to you, after all you're already dead", he joked. Masato was about to reply but the male held out a hand to stop him. A clipboard then appeared in his outstretched hand, "Let's see Lord Hirohito Masato, aged fifty one, home time period Edo era Japan, cause of death", the man paused and looked at his board a little closer, "self inflicted stab wound, blimey that was a little dramatic".

"Please", Masato growled, "just tell me where I am".

"Well someone got up on the wrong side of the grave this morning", the man said flippantly. He straightened his tie, "My name is Sebastian", he opened his arms wide, "and welcome to heaven". Masato raised an eyebrow as the strange man continued to smile broadly, "Follow me and we'll get you settled in to the afterlife", Sebastian added. Masato hesitated but with nothing else to do, he reluctantly followed the man towards the stone structure in the distance.

 **END EPISODE 4**

 _ **A/N –**_ _There we go, four episode down and seven to go. Any ideas who's stalking The Doctor, an old enemy or someone different? Now we've seen Sebastian and 'Heaven' will I be sticking with the same main enemy from Series 8? Obviously your thoughts will depend on how closely you think I'm following the actual Series 8. Episode 5 will be up next week and I'm going to post it as a new story so keep an eye out for "The Coal Hill Chronicles". Until next time._


End file.
